


Marie's Guide to Dating a Self-Proclaimed Sociopath

by ohmytheon



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Action/Adventure, Awkwardness, Bonding, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Medium Burn, Mental Health Issues, Pre-Canon, Roommates, School, Stein is Bad at Feelings, Team Dynamics, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21757375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmytheon/pseuds/ohmytheon
Summary: When Spirit and Stein are suddenly split up and Lord Death assigns Marie as Stein's new Demon Weapon, she's not sure what to think. All she wants to do is graduate and find a boyfriend. Well, she does those things, but a partnership with Franken Stein is by no means normal. No Meister has ever been able to wield her for long, Stein is difficult at best, and no one knows what to think of him - but there's something different about the way they connect with one another, something she can't put a finger on. Whatever the case, she's going to make it through her last year at DWMA, as long as she follows her heart.
Relationships: Kami & Marie Mjolnir, Marie Mjolnir/Franken Stein, Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe & Franken Stein, Spirit Albarn | Death Scythe/Kami
Comments: 20
Kudos: 90
Collections: Fluffy Fics for Mira, Soul Eater Resonance Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Baph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baph/gifts).



> Many thanks to Baph, my artist for Resbang, who dealt with me not remembering canon and having to resort to wikipedia to get it half-right. Also, to the girls in the Resbang Chat - you know who you are - I swear, you kept me sane throughout this entire process. I wasn't even planning on doing Resbang again, but somehow, I got added to the groupchat and got sucked back into this. 10k, they said. It'll be easy, they said. 22k later, I'm pretty sure I was losing my mind. Listen, Okubo won't give us the backstory I so desperately want, so I guess I have to do all the work around here. SteinMarie is still my favorite pairing for SE, so you can catch me always thinking about them.
> 
> You can find Baph's art [here](https://anonbaph.tumblr.com/post/189610596859/my-first-piece-of-this-years-resbang#_=_)!

_ Rule #1: A Meister and Weapon relationship is a two-way street. Communication, trust, and compatibility are important to deepen and create a stronger bond. (Don’t bother trying to figure out why it works.) _

Life at the DWMA could be unpredictable and weird, but that also came with being a teenager. In between hunting down evil souls, there was homework, cleaning her room, and hanging out with friends. Oh, and dating, but she wasn’t any good at that. Things could get pretty busy and overwhelming. Her teachers didn’t accept any excuses, not even the one about an evil soul literally eating her homework.

Honestly, Marie just wanted to get married, have kids, and live in a nice house, but she was a Mjolnir and had certain responsibilities and duties thanks to that.

As far back as their family history went, the Mjolnir family had provided Death Weapons for the DWMA. Although many families provided generations of Weapons thanks to passing down the gene, they were one of the oldest to date. The gene, however, was fickle in itself. Most showed up in every generation, but in the Mjolnir family, it skipped a generation or two sometimes. There was no telling when it would show up or if it would at all.

Neither of Marie’s parents were Weapons, but her grandfather had been lightning reborn. He passed away when she was five, so she couldn’t recall much of him. What she did remember was the power he radiated, the thunderous sound of his voice, and the crack of lightning whenever he would transform into a Weapon. She hadn’t seen it often, but he’d shown her a handful of times, causing her to squeal in both fear and delight whenever his fists turned into hammers.

In the end, the Weapon gene chose her, a full six years after her grandfather’s passing, and she found herself being sent from her wintery home filled with daydreams to the wicked summer of Death City where she had to work herself to the bone. It didn’t help that she was particularly difficult to manage. She’d gone through scours of Meisters, both older and younger than her, but only a few could wield her.

It wasn’t that she was trying to be difficult on purpose; she wasn’t trying to do poorly so she would get kicked out of the DWMA. She loved it here! Hard as it was, this was her life, her future, and maybe even where she would find her soulmate. She could fight and still fall in love. At least Lord Death understood. During a period where she simply trained to use her Weapon abilities on her own, he had set her down and talked with her about her inherent powers.

Weapon bloodlines as old as hers were stronger than others. That wasn’t always the case – a Weapon from a younger bloodline could easily become stronger – but at least in the beginning, she was leagues above her classmates. Young meisters simply weren’t at the same level yet, but later on, they would be. An already established Meister could wield her, but even then, there was a strange disconnect.

She was special, unique, a gift that her Meister must be  _ worthy  _ to wield.

Which was why, when Lord Death brought her into his expansive office and said, “Marie, due to a series of circumstances that are not to leave this room, I’m assigning Stein as your Meister partner,” she actually blurted out, “ _ What _ ?”

Luckily, Lord Death was a kind, if not really weird, principal. She didn’t often see him serious, save for the talk they’d had a year before, but his normal goofiness hadn’t been present at that moment. Upon seeing her blinking and confused face, he abruptly switched tactics, going from serious to smiling in a second flat, swooping closer to pat her on the head. “Ah, I know this is very sudden and unusual! I’m sorry to spring this on you, but you’re the best one suited for the job.”

The job. What job?

“Um…”

Marie turned her head to look at Stein, who stood a few feet away from her with his shoulders hunched over and his head bowed. The glare of his glasses kept his eyes hidden, but she knew he wasn’t looking at her. Quite frankly, she wasn’t even sure he was aware that she was in the room with him despite having spoken, but nothing slipped past him with his Soul Perception abilities.

“Yes, Marie?” Lord Death prompted.

“Well, isn’t…? Isn’t Spirit his Weapon Partner?” Marie asked, looking forward.

Lord Death pressed his comically large gloves together. “Not anymore. Spirit has been reassigned to Kami, which leaves Stein without a partner. While he’s quite formidable on his own, he needs a Weapon in order to graduate.”

“And I need a Meister.” Even though she knew it was a bad habit, Marie fiddled with her fingers, thinking of how that was a sign of fear. Stein always looked at habits like that as a weakness. If she was going to be partners with him, she couldn’t do things like that. She took a deep breath and stilled her hands. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking… Why the abrupt change? Spirit and Stein have 90 souls, don’t they? Won’t this force them to start from scratch?”

Lord Death hesitated, and Stein still refused to look up or even move. To be honest, it kind of irritated her. Sure, he wasn’t the most talkative person at DWMA and had a habit of being either really weird or completely emotionless, but he’d never outright ignored her before. He hadn’t even acknowledged her presence or Lord Death’s words. A lot of people found him and his silent ways intimidating or downright scary, but he had always been, well… She wouldn’t say kind, but he was...considerate. No, that wasn’t the right word either.

He considered her though. He was patient with her, didn’t mock her for her lack of directional skills, and commented on her strength. They were comfortable around each other. She at least thought they were friends even if he didn’t, seeing as how he was of the firm belief that he didn’t have any. He believed a lot of weird things, but she always thought those beliefs were endearing.

Not right now. She was being thrust into Stein’s hands, and he hadn’t said a single word or even looked at her once. Well. That was not going to stand if they were partners now. A relationship between Meister and Weapon was built on trust, which rested on a pillar of communication and openness. How could he ever expect them to perform soul resonance if he didn’t open up to her?

“That’s complicated, but I can’t ask this of you without explaining the seriousness of this situation to you either,” Lord Death finally said, giving Stein a long sideways look behind his mask before focusing on Marie once more. “Stein is a brilliant Meister, as you know, one of the best I’ve ever seen, but he’s also susceptible to Madness Wavelengths. Make no mistake: I’m not using that an excuse for his behavior, and he will be punished.”

Marie’s eyes darted to Stein again. “Punished for what?”

“For conducting experiments on his Weapon partner without his consent while he was asleep.”

The statement hit Marie like a truck, but unfortunately for trucks, she was an immovable object with a punch that could send a tank flying. She stood there, stunned into silence, and blinked rapidly. Conducted experiments...on Spirit? Without his consent? While he was asleep? Experiments. So it hadn’t been just a one-time thing. It had been multiple occurrences. How long? How  _ many _ ? Was his plan to keep on doing it until he got caught or he was finished?

“I understand that you might be uncomfortable with being partnered with him,” Lord Death continued when she didn’t respond, “but I believe your Healing Wavelength will be a natural countermeasure to the Madness Wavelength that attacks his mind.”

Stein had said something about that before, hadn’t he? She couldn’t remember exactly, if only because she’d blushed and had to talk herself out of running away from him in embarrassment. What had he said? They were lying on the ground gazing up at the clouds and pointing out shapes. She’d say a cloud looked like a cute bunny while he would describe them as monsters. And then he’d gone silent for a while, simply staring up at the sky, until finally…

_ “I never really considered your Healing Wavelength before, but… I can think clearly around you. I didn’t know that was possible.” _

Just thinking about that now threatened to cause her to blush, but no, she had to be stronger than that. This was not the time to blush about something Stein said, not when he’d done something so serious. How could he have done that to Spirit? They were partners. Where were the trust and openness?

Lord Death sighed. “I know this is hard to ask of you considering the nature and severity of Stein’s actions against his last Weapon partner, so if you’re too uncomfortable with this–”

“Stein wouldn’t hurt me.”

The words slipped from Marie’s lips before going through her brain. Even she raised her eyebrows in surprise, and Lord Death was certainly taken aback by her certain interruption. The declaration was finally enough to snap Stein out of whatever trance he was in. He slowly turned his head to look at her, something very odd swirling in his gray eyes.

Normally, he was unreadable, a blank slate, or wild and manic, but this was… Was that  _ fear  _ in his eyes?

Marie straightened and put a determined expression on her face. “I’ll do it. I’ll take the assignment.”

“How kind and strong of you!” Lord Death exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together. The sudden change in his behavior once more threw her off, but the only hint was the furrow of her brows. She figured the God of Death was old enough to be allowed certain eccentricities.

Stein continued to stare at her. “Marie…”

“Of course, there’s the matter of soul compatibility,” Lord Death continued, thoughtfully scratching the bottom of his mask. “So far, no one has been able to wield you longer than a few months, correct?”

This time, Marie did blush and duck her head. “Correct.”

“I can do it,” Stein said flatly.

“Oh?” Lord Death leaned forward. “Have you tried before?”

Stein shook his head slowly while Marie shook hers frantically. She had thought to ask him once, out of curiosity, but then worried that Spirit might consider it rude and got too embarrassed. The thought now was kind of overwhelming, but she couldn’t let it get the best of her. She was going to graduate and become a Death Weapon. She was going to take down 99 evil human souls and then a witch. Despite his horrific actions, Stein was her best bet.

Lord Death’s mask made it impossible to read his true emotions, but there was something shrewd about him now as he eyed Stein that she’d never noticed before. “I know you’re compatible with many Weapons despite your inclination towards Madness, most likely because of the manipulation you’ve done to your own soul wavelength, but I  _ am  _ curious. Surely with your Soul Perception abilities, you’ve seen what she’s capable of.”

“I have.”

“Then how do you know you can wield her?”

Stein shrugged and said, “Because she’s Marie,” and her traitorous heart skipped a beat.

Right. Okay then. She could do this.  _ They  _ could do this. Marie smiled despite the situation while Stein boredly blinked. This was going to be...interesting. Kami was going to be even more upset. She likely wanted to kill Stein for what he’d done to her boyfriend and now Marie was his Weapon partner? Oh, boy, life at the DWMA sure was unusual.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Rule #2: Hold your Meister accountable for being a jerk. Your emotions are totally valid even if he proclaims not to have any. (He does, but he’s an idiot.) _

All the students at DWMA lived in Death City and most of them lived with their partners. Because Marie hadn’t had a stable Meister since arriving, she’d lived alone, which made her dreams seem that much further. While everyone else was living with their best friend and partner, she did everything by herself.

She swore it wasn’t sad. She had to learn to be comfortable with herself. Besides, she wasn’t really alone since she had plenty of friends. Azuza said she was the friendliest girl at DWMA. Everyone liked her, even Stein in his own way or at least she thought he did.

Of course, her natural warmth made everyone looked askance at her partnership with Stein too. No one understood how she could possibly be partners with him. To be honest, sometimes she wasn’t sure either, but she knew they would work, even if they hadn’t tried to resonate together yet. She could just tell. Sure, she would’ve liked to know exactly what Stein thought of her, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure she would like what that was. Marie knew she was strong, but she also didn’t like being disliked.

If Stein thought poorly of her in any way, she’d be crushed. She probably shouldn’t care what he thought, considering his attitude and his behavior towards Spirit, but she couldn’t help herself.

But did he have to be such an ass about things?

“It’s ugly,” Stein said flatly as he stared at the purple couch in what Marie assumed was a living room. It was hard to tell. The house where he lived was more of a lab than a home. Papers covered with research littered the room, books strewn everywhere, scientific materials spread across every surface. A computer buzzed in the background while a light flickered and a fan ran haphazardly and something bubbled. She didn’t know what, and she didn’t want to know.

Marie folded her arms across her chest. “No, it’s not. You need some color in here! You just don’t like it because it’s not grey or black.”

“I’ve got color in here.”

“Oh really? Where? Is it hidden in your bedroom?”

Stein looked at her. “You.”

Blush rushed to Marie’s cheeks, but she shook her head to get rid of it. If he was trying to disarm her somehow, she wouldn’t let it work. He might throw everyone else off with his weird and scary comments, but he wasn’t going to get her. He had another thing coming if he thought he was going to get away with that. She wasn’t Spirit. Speaking of which…

“Um, did Spirit live here too?” Marie asked hesitantly.

“Sometimes.”

_ And that was when you took advantage and experimented on him. _

The thought popped into Marie’s mind, shame instantly flooding her afterward. She didn’t know why. It was most likely true. Since Lord Death assigned them to be partners a week ago, neither one of them had brought Spirit or his transfer up. She didn’t know how to go about it or if she should, but… A Meister and Weapon’s relationship was based on mutual trust and communication. They would need to talk about it eventually if she was going to let him wield her in her Weapon form.

Marie pointed at one of the doors. “Which room–?”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Huh?” Marie peered at him and tilted her head. “Decorate? Well, if I’m gonna live here, I want it to look somewhat like a home.”

“That,” Stein said flatly. “You don’t have to move in. Spirit didn’t, not really.”

Planting her hands on her hips, Marie firmly stated, “Well, I’m not Spirit, and I’m moving in.” And then she hesitated, trying and failing to read Stein’s expression. There was nothing. It was more frustrating than she’d anticipated, but they’d never been this close either. “Unless you don’t want me to? I guess I  _ am  _ invading your privacy.”

Stein looked away from her, his gaze drifting around aimlessly until it landed on something random. “It might not…” He swallowed. “It might not be a good idea. I don’t know.”

Leaning over so she could peer at his face, Marie smiled. “Worried about me?”

His shoulders dropped. “Marie…”

“You don’t need to.” She stood upright and walked over to the couch to run her hand along the back. Maybe it stood out a little too much in the room, but he did need some color. She couldn’t be the only positive thing in his life. It would take a lot of small things if they were going to make this work. And they would. She knew it. “We need to get more familiar with each other. Moving in is the quickest and easiest way to do that.”

“Yeah, but–?”

Marie turned to look him in the eyes. “Do you want to experiment on me?”

Stein was already pale, but he somehow managed to look even paler now. Maybe he hadn’t expected her to be so blunt, although it could’ve just been the light washing him out. “No.”

“Then we’re okay.” Marie allowed her expression to soften. “I know I’m not the...easiest Weapon to deal with. I kept thinking that I’d find a Meister, things would click, and we’d–” She blushed, suddenly recalling how silly her daydreams were. He tilted his head curiously, waiting for her to continue, but there was no way she was going to talk about how she used to dream of her and her Meister falling in love, not when he was her Meister now. “If you can wield me, then I think we’ll be good.”

“I can wield you,” Stein said. “You’re simple.”

Harrumphing, Marie planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not simple.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“If that was the case, I’m pretty sure that I’d have a Meister already,” Marie pointed out.

“You’re simple.” Stein stepped closer to her, inching his way forward, but she didn’t take a step back or move. No, she planted her feet and held her ground. He could be difficult all he wanted, but she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. This was her home now too, and they were partners. Sooner or later, she would feel what he felt and they could work from there. He stopped until he was right in front of her, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. “Those other idiots couldn’t handle your power. You’re pure lightning and strength. You need someone that can match that.”

Marie raised an eyebrow. “And you can?”

“Yeah, I can.” Stein’s lips twitched, but she couldn’t tell if he wanted to smile or frown. “You can still say no. You can still back out. I won’t be insulted.”

“Nope, you’re stuck with me,” Marie said firmly. “We’re partners.”

“I’m strong enough on my own to graduate. I don’t really need you.”

Marie poked him in the chest and snapped, “Stop it.” He blinked in surprise, the emotion flashing in his eyes before he could stop himself. Ah, that was better. She knew there was something in him that proved he was human; he was simply trying to hide it. “If you think you can make a few rude remarks and thoughtless comments to push me away, you’re wrong. Lord Death assigned us to be partners. I’m your Weapon and you’re my Meister, so stop acting like...like...like you’re alone in this.”

Stein furrowed his brow. “I’ve always been alone.”

“No,” Marie sighed, spreading out her fingers so she could splay her palm against his chest. “You made yourself feel that way. I don’t…” She didn’t know why he experimented on Spirit. She didn’t know what he thought he was accomplishing or why he thought it was okay. Maybe he hadn’t cared. He certainly wasn’t acting like losing Spirit was an issue. “Whether you realize it or not, you need me – and I need you. If you believe you’re gonna wield me, then you can’t pull this lone wolf stuff anymore. It won’t work with me.”

“You sure about that?” Stein drawled, his eyes fixated on her hand.

“Positive.”

Letting out a sigh, Stein walked away from her. “I still think the couch is ugly.”

“It’s staying.”

“If you insist.”

Well, this was going to be a beautiful living arrangement. She wasn’t even sure that he slept at a normal schedule. Oh well. They’d make it work. It’d be weird, but they would figure it out. Because they were a team. It was the only way they could do this.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Rule #3: Always be positive, but if things are looking too good, be prepared for a bump in the road – or a complete drop off (especially if your Meister is a stubborn ass). _

School was boring. If Marie didn’t care about them, Stein was even worse. He didn’t even show up half the time, which made her look like the odd one out even more now that she had a Meister. Before, it was simply expected of her to sort of be on her own (and she could take care of demons by herself just fine, thank you very much), but now people looked at her and expected Stein to be standing behind or next to her, and he wasn’t.

Maybe it was for the best. Now that Spirit was back to attending classes regularly, she didn’t want him to be upset. She wasn’t sure what it would be like if he and Stein were in the same room, but she didn’t want to find out. Thankfully, Lord Death had explained the situation and new partnership to him personally, so he wasn’t upset with her for taking his place as Stein’s Weapon. To be honest, he was more worried than anything else.

He was a good person, even if he said weird things sometimes. Honestly, was her hair that shiny? And what had he said about her eyes the other day? That they were warm?

Whatever the case, Stein rarely showing up for class meant that he and Spirit never crossed paths despite both of them attending DWMA and living in Death City. If there was mandatory homework, he usually did it in the dead of night and then handed it to her in the morning for her to turn in. According to him, it was hard for anyone to say no to her, especially when she smiled, so none of the teachers complained too much about it.

Besides, classes didn’t really matter, not to them. No, what they needed to work on couldn’t be learned in class. It was something only they could figure out for themselves on their own. After all, if they didn’t learn how to soul resonate with one another, this entire partnership would be deemed worthless.

“And remember, the size that I take in my Weapon form depends on you and how well we soul resonate, so we have to be careful…” Marie trailed nervously behind Stein, wandering further into the woods located on the outskirts of Death City.

“Can you only take the form one kind of Weapon?”

Marie furrowed her brow in thought. “I think so?”

Stein hummed but didn’t say anything, which made her wring her hands anxiously. The truth was, she wasn’t sure. Out of all the Meisters she had briefly worked with, she’d only taken her regular hammer form. When she transformed only her hands in order to fight on her own, they took the form of a hammer. Mjolnir wasn’t just her name. It was her blood. It was  _ her _ .

Once they reached a clearing, Stein stopped and turned around to face her. She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. He didn’t say anything, just held out a hand. Marie stared at for a second before huffing and transforming into her Weapon form, yellow lightning crackling in the air. The least he could do was ask her, even if she knew not to expect him to be nice about it.

Stein snatched her out of thin air, his hold firm, and a bolt of energy zipped through her, causing her to yip, “What was that?”

“My wavelength.”

Marie huffed again. “Don’t do that without warning me. I wasn’t ready. I almost transformed back.”

Lifting her up closer to his face, Stein examined her Weapon form. She was smaller than she’d been the last time she fully transformed for a Meister, but she felt...more solid, lighter, and energetic. It must have had something to do with Stein’s soul. It was hard to tell without trying to soul resonate, which would be the true test of their compatibility. Stein was known for being able to wield multiple Weapons, but she was known for being, well, incompatible.

An anxious energy hummed throughout her, but instead of having to switch hands like many Meisters did, Stein tightened his grip on her. “You typically held yourself back with other Meisters, didn’t you?”

“I, um…” Marie hesitated. She couldn’t squirm in her Weapon form, but she wanted to. “They couldn’t really handle it. I could tell. If I tried, then we’d fall out of alignment and someone could get hurt.” By someone, she meant the Meister wielding her. After an attempt at soul resonating went awry with her first Meister, putting them in the infirmary for a week, she was too scared to try again. “I don’t want to hurt anyone again.”

“You won’t hurt me.”

“Stein, you don’t–”

“Marie.” He took his glasses off and slid them into his pocket. “You won’t hurt me. If I do get hurt, it’ll be my fault, not yours.” She didn’t think that was how it worked, but Stein knew more about this kind of stuff anyone else, save for Lord Death himself. Distaste flickered across his face. “Those other Meisters tried to handle you with no finesse. They didn’t take your soul into consideration enough. It’s a lot stronger than it appears since you hide it so much.”

_ Oh. _

This...did feel nicer. It was hard to explain. She wasn’t fighting so much. Transforming into her Weapon form was easy, but most people couldn’t even lift her, as if she weighed tons. She’d simply rest of the ground while they tugged and tugged without moving her an inch. At least Stein could hold her. He waved her around slowly, testing her balance and weight, switching his grip on her. He even made a few jagged sharp cuts to mimic an attack.

So he could use her to fight with. That was better than most.

“How does it feel?” Marie blurted without thinking. Gee, it was a good thing Weapons couldn’t blush.

“Good.” Stein seemed taken aback by his own reply, pausing and blinking with an almost not-so-blank expression on his face. Now she was really grateful to be in her Weapon form. There was no way she would have been able to not react to that. He cleared his throat. “But I want better. Let’s soul resonate.”

“I-I don’t–” Marie could feel Stein’s flat stare on her. There was no sense in arguing. She would’ve liked more time to build up to soul resonating, seeing as she’d only managed it twice, but he likely didn’t want to waste time.

Truth be told, she was afraid of disappointing him. If they couldn’t resonate, this strange partnership would be terminated. Even worse, she’d feel like a failure. She didn’t want to think Stein was her last hope of having a Meister to graduate with, but…

She took a deep breath, her Weapon form shuddering in Stein’s hand. “Okay.”

Soul resonance was something deeply special. It bonded two people together. The two times she had managed to resonate with her Meister at the time ended in explosions. Her mother said it was because of the Mjolnir power. Lord Death said it was simply because her strength as a Weapon outweighed that of her Meisters’. When her soul jumped back to amplify theirs, it was too much, resulting in an unstable match no matter what she did.

Unlike other Meisters, Stein didn’t bother announcing what he wanted her to do. She could feel the urge in the way he held her, intent and decisive, a second before his soul jumped against hers. Marie gasped, electricity shooting through every inch of her, and then opened the door to her soul and let him in. She didn’t hold herself back. Their souls mingled and fought and entangled with each other until they felt like one, bouncing back and forth and growing stronger and stronger and–

“Oh, this is great!” Stein exclaimed, excitement and eagerness lacing his voice.

“Y-Yeah?” Elation swirled inside of Marie. This was so much better than all the other times she tried soul resonating with someone. This was power. This was  _ strength _ . She could do so much! The electricity that crackled around her Weapon form didn’t feel dangerous or like it was going to turn against them. He could control it with his wavelength and hers combined. They could really do it!

Stein tossed her casually to his other hand. “Let’s see what you can do.”

“Oh, are–?”

He didn’t give her any time to react before he swung and slammed her hard into a tree, ripping its roots out of the ground and sending it flying. Marie grimaced, the action ringing her head and her heart sad for the innocent tree, but she steadied herself. She couldn’t fall out of alignment. Doing that while soul resonating was dangerous.

“Fantastic!” Stein laughed, swinging at another tree.

“I don’t think we should damage school proper–”

This time, instead of striking the tree with his entire force, Stein focused on their wavelengths, using their power instead of their strength. When he slammed her into the thick tree trunk, it vibrated and electricity shot through it, singing it black. Dead leaves fell to the ground around them like ash, and he laughed. The sound rung in her head like someone striking a bell.

“Stein–”

“This is way better than Spirit!” Stein continued, outright ignoring her. He paused, a thought crossing his mind, and an ugly grin stretched across his pale face. “Let’s go out. Let’s hunt. I wanna fight with you. I wanna destroy–”

“Stop it!” Marie screamed, and then she exploded.

The only warning Stein had was the sudden inability to hold her, as if her weight dragged him down to the ground. He gasped when she burned him and let her slip from his fingertips. The second she hit the grass, an explosion of sheer power absolutely devastated the area and blew Stein off his feet. A glow of light later and Marie found herself crouching in a small crater, panting heavily and trembling. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, but she couldn’t tell what it was from.

Anger, fear, excitement – she didn’t know. The confusion was concerning.

Stein laid still on his back some ten feet away, staring up at the sky with a dazed expression on his face. Marie swallowed and stood upright, her eyes never leaving him. It was her responsibility as a Weapon to protect her Meister, even from himself (especially from himself). Lord Death had entrusted her to work with Stein. She was supposed to take care of him. Her Healing Wavelength was supposed to help him.

But how was she supposed to help someone that was so resistant to the idea?

“This is the part where you apologize,” Marie pointed out as she stepped out of the crater.

“Is it?” Stein sat upright and gazed down at his hand, his palm red and sore. Her heart skipped a beat. It must have been terribly painful. Instead of commenting on it, however, he held it out to her again.

Marie took a step back. “Maybe we shouldn’t–”

“I have to get it right,” Stein cut in. “I let myself get lost in the resonance. It was...too tempting.” He lifted his other hand and rubbed his temple, grimacing, and tilted his head as if he could dump any unwanted thoughts out of it. “I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“If you’re positive.”

Kami often said that Marie was too trusting, too nice, too open. Maybe she did forgive people too easily and maybe she was too nice sometimes, but she wasn’t so sure about open. She might’ve been honest with her feelings, but there was so much that she didn’t say, so many times she only let the door to her soul open just enough to take a stab at resonating. She felt that way now despite how wonderful it had felt to resonate with Stein minutes ago.

He frowned and tilted his head the other way. Marie let out a breath and transformed, shifting her Weapon form into his outstretched hand.

They couldn’t resonate again in spite of hours of trying, no matter what they did.

(Maybe, just maybe, it was her fault this time.)


	4. Chapter 4

_ Rule #4: Trust your friends as they want what’s best for you, but most importantly, trust your gut because chances are your Meister is emotionally constipated. Listen to your heart. _

Marie and Stein weren’t actually on campus together often, which was probably for the better, but it still frustrated her sometimes. When they were together, it was either hunting down evil human souls or in the Patchwork Lab they now called home. It wouldn’t have been so bad if her classmates didn’t lob so many questions at her. She alone had to deal with their curiosity and intrusive nature while Stein studied at home and avoided them.

Honestly, she was kind of starting to figure out why he didn’t care for people so much.

The curiosity Marie could handle. It made sense. Stein’s terrible experiments on Spirit weren’t public knowledge, so no one knew why she was his partner now. Spirit hadn’t told anymore and it wasn’t Marie’s business despite having taken his place as Stein’s Weapon partner. She wasn’t about to spread rumors about stuff she didn’t know. Maybe she knew more than others, but since both Stein and Spirit refused to talk about it, she was left relatively in the dark too.

Which was how Kami managed to catch her off guard one inconspicuous day.

Marie was tired. After spending the past two days hunting down a particularly vicious soul (and more failed attempts at soul resonating), all she wanted to do was curl up in bed for hours, but she dragged herself to school and did her best not to fall asleep in class. She barely managed to take notes, but by the end of her morning classes, she wasn’t even sure what she’d written down.

She dragged herself out of class toward the cafeteria, her body sore from the fight the night before, when a hand firmly wrapped itself around her arm and jerked her to the side. Before she could even question what was happening, she found herself face-to-face with Kami and gaped rather stupidly at the other girl. What was–?

“Are you okay?” Kami demanded.

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?” Kami repeated, her tone aggressive despite the concerned words. “You look terrible.”

Marie pouted. She didn’t think she looked that bad. “I’m just tired. We got back in late early this morning. I barely got any sleep.”

A scowl crossed Kami’s lips. Not that that was unusual – she scowled a lot. “I knew it. He’s not treating you right. He’s a terrible Meister. You shouldn’t be partnered with him.”

“What?” The realization struck Marie’s sleepy mind, and she bolted upright and pulled her arm out of Kami’s grip. “No, it’s not Stein’s fault! We spent the entire weekend hunting down a soul. That’s our job here, isn’t it? Really, it’s mine for taking so long. I probably held him back.”

“You still shouldn’t be stuck with him,” Kami insisted. “Lord Death should’ve kicked him out of DWMA or even locked him up after what he did to Spirit.” She folded her arms across her chest, a firm look on her face. When she got something in her head, she never let it go or changed her mind. It was probably why they’d never been able to soul resonate despite being close friends. “He’s a monster, Marie.”

Marie bit her lip. “I don’t think…”

“Do you know what he did?” Kami questioned.

“No.” Marie glanced down at her feet. “He won’t talk about it, and it’d be rude to ask Spirit.”

Kami let out a sigh, some of the anger bleeding out of her. “Honestly, you have every right to ask him. You’ve taken his spot as Stein’s Weapon partner – a spot that led him to being traumatized and experimented on.” Maybe anger was the wrong word. Kami was emotional. She felt things deeply and was passionate about so much. She was protective of her friends. It didn’t help that she’d never gotten along with Stein. “I don’t want you to get hurt too. You’re too kind and good.”

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Marie said, putting on her brightest smile. “He won’t hurt me.”

“Yeah, he will,” Kami said flatly. “He’s dangerous.”

“Not to me.”

“What makes you so different than Spirit?” Kami snapped.

Marie reared back. “I–”

“Sorry, sorry.” Kami pinched the bridge of her nose. “Things have been kind of stressful with Spirit. I wasn’t planning on working with my boyfriend and we had a difficult time soul resonating since he was so nervous after the thing with Stein. Things are okay now, but then I realized I hadn’t even talked with you, and I was so worried…”

Taking a deep breath, Marie put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Seriously, it’s okay. You’re a good friend. If you didn’t say something about Stein, I would’ve started to worry that you were mad at me.”

“I was at first,” Kami sheepishly admitted, “but then Spirit explained that it wasn’t your decision.” She twisted her lips into a frown. “I’m honestly mad at Lord Death for forcing this onto you. I know Stein is a talented Meister – I know we need him if something really serious happens – but I still hate it. Out of everyone to get stuck with him, why you?”

Marie couldn’t answer her. Logically, she knew half the reason was her Healing Wavelength. It was a unique, rare gift. On top of her formidable power of being a Weapon from the long line of Mjolnir blood, she had a Wavelength that wasn’t found in Demon Weapons like her. Not until after she moved to attend DWMA did her father tell her that there were no records of anyone in their family ever having a Wavelength like that.

Their power was meant to destroy, not heal. So why then did she have this ability?

“Well, probably because no one else can wield me but him,” Marie said.

Kami was quick to argue, as usual. “That’s not–”

“It’s true, Kami, and you know it.” Marie clenched her hands into fists at her side. “I’m difficult and stubborn and I can’t– I don’t know. I tried so hard with everyone, but I could never really resonate with anyone fully. Maybe something’s wrong with me.”

“No. No, no, no, don’t you dare say something like that.” Kami stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her. Marie often forgot how small she was considering how much of a powerful punch she packed, but even Kami was taller than her. It was nothing like Stein, who stood over her like a giant after hitting a growth spurt in his second year. “You’re something truly special, Marie. You’re a better person than me, definitely better than those two idiot boys.”

Giggling wetly, Marie hugged her friend back. “They are kinda dumb.”

“It just…” Kami took a deep breath and squeezed her tighter. “It really pisses me off. Stein should be punished, but instead he’s got you, and I’m really worried that he’ll do something to hurt you.”

Marie pulled back slightly. “He won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Kami asked, looking her directly in the eyes.

“I don’t know.” Marie shrugged. “I can just feel it.”

Kami considered her carefully. “Have you two soul resonated yet?”

“Once.” Marie tried not to react anxiously, but it was hard. She wasn’t good at hiding how she felt. Unlike Stein, she wore all of her emotions on her face and her heart on her sleeve. “It was… I don’t know how to describe it.” She didn’t want to say it felt great. She didn’t want to admit how much she wanted to do it again but was nervous. “His soul didn’t feel threatening. If anything, it was...scared.”

“Scared.” Kami scoffed and let go of Marie to place her hands on her hips. “I don’t believe that bastard has ever felt fear in his life.”

“It’s hard to explain,” Marie admitted sheepishly.

“It usually is.” Kami frowned. She clearly wasn’t happy with the outcome of their conversation, but she wasn’t angry either. If Marie had given any hint that she was upset or afraid of Stein, it would’ve been a much different story. “Just let me know if anything happens, okay?”

“Will do.”

Kami pointed a finger at her. “If he so much as lays a finger on you, so help me Death, I will make him regret the day he was born.”

Marie laughed. She didn’t doubt that for a second. The last guy she dated surely had felt that way once Kami was threw with him. She didn’t take kindly to her friends’ getting hurt and had been furious when Marie called her crying that she stumbled across her boyfriend cheating on her. No one’s wrath was quite like Kami’s. It was a force of nature, one that Spirit and Stein had both suffered before already. Everyone at DWMA knew better than to cross her.

“Seriously, you’ll tell me if something happens, won’t you?” Kami asked one last time.

“Yeah, I will.” Marie wasn’t a liar, so Kami nodded gratefully and accepted her response. She felt a little bad about it. No, she wasn’t a liar, but she was Stein’s Weapon partner, and it was her job to protect him.

*

Stein was hunched over his desk, his fingers clacking away at the keyboard. Marie hesitated in the doorway, watching him roll a kink out of his shoulders as he continued to type, and then let out a sigh. Kami’s concerned voice kept ringing in her head along with the memory of soul resonating with him. Something was holding them back from truly connecting. As much as she wanted to place the blame on him refusing to open up, she knew it was because she was guarding herself against him.

She wasn’t afraid of him – she wasn’t – but maybe she was afraid of finally, truly, and fully soul resonating with someone.

Letting out a sigh, Marie flicked the switch for the light, turning them on and dragging Stein forcibly out of the darkness. He reared back, sitting up straight and scratching his head in confusion like he had no idea there was a light for this room in the first place. When he turned his head, he caught sight of her and blinked. “Oh, is school over already?”

“Have you been there since I left?” Marie asked as she shut the door and took her jacket off. Normally, she put her clothes away in her bedroom, but she simply didn’t care right now, tossing it on the back of the couch instead.

“Mm.” Stein furrowed his brow in thought. “I suppose I have.”

“You’re going to ruin your eyesight if you’re not careful.”

“Don’t need good eyesight to use Soul Perception,” Stein pointed out.

“And you don’t need to see to fight?” Marie countered.

“That’s why I focus more on the soul during a confrontation.”

Marie huffed and closed her eyes, tilting her head back against the couch. He had a counter-argument for everything. He was so damn smart. Everyone knew it, hence why the teachers at DWMA never really pushed for him to come to class. The last time he had, he’d ended up correcting the teacher and then more or less got kicked out. It had been really embarrassing, but Stein had left somewhat smiling.

The sound of his chair wheels rolling across the floor caused Marie to open her eyes, only to find Stein’s face right above hers. She squeaked and jerked away, nearly stumbling off the couch. He didn’t even look ashamed as he crossed his arms across the back of the couch where her head had been and propped his chin on them, staring at her rather inquisitively.

“What?” Marie demanded.

“You’re usually not this argumentative,” Stein said. He didn’t ask the question, but she heard it lingering in the air. It was hard to describe. He wasn’t the type of person to ask people if they were okay nor was he the type to care, but her unusual behavior would catch his interest. Marie was such a kind, sweet, and forgiving person. Yes, she was more than willing to punch someone in the face for being cruel, but she liked to see the good in people and it took a lot to upset her.

Marie didn’t expect him to be completely open with her, but honestly, she was kind of upset that he hadn’t talked at all, especially since she took a very precarious position.

_ “Do you know what he did?” _

No, she didn’t because he didn’t open up about anything. He just… How could she soul resonate with someone who was afraid to connect with her? And he was. She could tell, even if he didn’t realize it himself. She’d felt his soul skittering as it bounced back and forth between them.

“What did you do to Spirit?”

The question slipped out of her mouth before she could think it through. Marie hadn’t planned on confronting Stein about his actions outright – she had wanted him to tell her on his own time – but now she knew that he was only going to talk if she forced his hand. She needed to show him that she wasn’t just his Weapon; she was also his partner, and he needed to treat her with respect. If they were going to properly soul resonate – if they were going to be a true Meister and Demon Weapon team – he needed to open himself up to her.

She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, no matter what he told her, at least not physically. It was her heart and soul that she was worried about right now. The others hadn’t mattered, but Stein did. She couldn’t say why, only that she had never felt anything like when they resonated before.

Stein didn’t look away from her face. “You sure you want to know?”

Marie folded her arms across her chest. “I think I deserve to know.”

“You do,” Stein agreed mildly. “I’m surprised it took you this long to ask.”

“Well, I wanted you to tell me when you were ready,” Marie muttered.

“Did you honestly expect me to do that?”

“You don’t have to be an ass about it,” Marie half-heartedly snapped. She bit her lip and dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to hold his flat gaze.

Well, this was going fabulously. She couldn’t soul resonate with Stein (she could, but she didn’t want to), her friends were worried for her safety (they had good reason to be), she and her Meister were getting into petty arguments (she kind of wanted to punch him), and all she wanted to do was hide in her bedroom and cry. Why couldn’t she easily find someone to work with like every other Weapon? Why did she have to be so difficult? Why did Stein have to be so...so...frustrating?

“I experimented on him,” Stein abruptly said. Marie snapped her eyes back up to him, but he wasn’t looking at her any longer. His gaze rested on the coffee table in front of the couch, but she could tell that he wasn’t really seeing it. No, the distant look in his eyes told her that his sight was in the past. “Spirit’s a ridiculously heavy sleeper, but it wasn’t like I could cut him open without him waking up. It didn’t take much of a dose to knock him out for the entire night.”

Marie swallowed. “You...drugged him?”

Stein glanced at her. “He didn’t warn you not to accept any drinks from me?”

“He hasn’t spoken to me since we were partnered,” Marie told him. “Not that the warning would’ve mattered. You haven’t given me anything.” He barely came near her expect when they had to work together. He could wield her and she was strong enough to take down most evil souls without them needing to soul resonate, but other than that, he kept his distance. “Why did you…?”

“I couldn’t…” He looked away from her again, almost like he was ashamed. “I had to know how souls worked, and he was right there. He was convenient. He trusted me.” Stein buried his face further into his arms, his eyes barely seen behind his messy hair. “I cut him open, I took his blood, I messed with his soul – all in the name of science and because I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head. I had to know in order to be stronger, and now I am.”

“And now you are,” Marie repeated lightly. “Was it worth it?”

“I got to be partnered with you, didn’t I?”

Marie twisted her lips. “Don’t be mean.”

“I don’t think about that stuff with you around,” Stein told her. “Maybe it’s your soul wavelength.” It very likely was, but that wasn’t good enough. She couldn’t just be a bandaid for him. “Sometimes, when you’re not around, I wonder what it would feel like to dig into you and get a closer look at your soul.” Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn’t move. “And then you’re here and I’m left wondering how I could ever think that in the first place. All those doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with me, but they couldn’t, and I thought they were dumb until I met you and everything cleared up.”

Even though it shouldn’t have affected her so much, Marie couldn’t help but blush. “You really know how to talk a girl up.”

Stein made a face. “Isn’t that more of Spirit’s area of expertise?”

A smile flickered onto Marie’s face. “He’s not as poetic.”

“Don’t tell him that. He’ll be more upset to find out his charm doesn’t work on you than about the experiments.”

The smile faded from Marie’s face. “Do you regret it?”

“Sometimes,” Stein admitted. “It’s hard to say. I got a lot out of it. I lost a lot too.” He hadn’t answered her if he thought it was worth it, not really. He’d dodged the question instead, which made her think that he wasn’t sure what he thought about it either. “Does that bother you?”

“Yes,” Marie answered honestly. Dumb as he might be sometimes, Spirit was still a friend and she knew how much Kami liked him despite their arguments. He was a good person. Stein should have never done what he did, but he had and there was no changing that. They simply had to make do with what they had.

After what he told her, especially in regards to her, she should have been even warier of him, but she was brave if nothing else. She was accepting. She couldn’t fix him – nor was it her responsibility – but she could help, if only for a little. That was what Weapons did for their Meisters: they protected them.

Stepping forward, Marie held out a hand. Stein eyed her hand for a few beats, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, until finally he reached out to run his fingertips along her palm. She fought back a shiver before transforming into her Weapon form. A powerful energy surged through her as he gripped her handle tightly. She could feel his soul on the edge, like he was both excited and nervous to soul resonate with her, the anticipation killing him.

“Oh, shouldn’t we go outside?” Marie piped up anxiously.

“I trust you,” Stein said.

Marie’s soul fluttered. She could feel the moment Stein’s soul jumped to hers, staring the soul resonating process. This time, instead of holding back, she relaxed and simply...let go.

Back and forth their souls went, amplifying one another, until an energy unlike anything before flowed between them. She felt like she was on fire, electricity visibly crackling around her hammer form. Stein lifted her in the air and spun her around in his hand like a toy, his hold on her familiar and steady. His soul rattled like it had before, but instead of going erratic, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“No wonder no one else could properly soul resonate with you,” he murmured.

“Why’s that?”

“You feel too good. All that power is so distracting.”

Even in Weapon form, Marie felt herself blushing once more. “Stein!”

“How does it feel on your end?”

After a moment of hesitation, she admitted, “Great – like I can take on anything.”

“Brilliant.” A grin spread across Stein’s face. He lifted her high in the air, the light glinting off her shiny metal. His hold on her was firm but careful and sure, but it was his even soul that put her at ease. Instead of going erratic like he had before, he latched onto her wavelength and rode it through until it enveloped him too. Marie felt herself getting lost in the lull, basking in the feeling of their souls resonating with one another.

For all that he had done to Spirit – and that was something she could not simply forget – his soul was far brighter than she could’ve imagined. She felt it. She saw it. She touched it. And it was...good, whether he realized it or not.


	5. Chapter 5

_ Rule #5: In the darkest moments is when you will find out what you truly mean to one another. That could mean when your Meister eats your secret stash of cookies – or when you nearly die. _

Soul resonating with Stein was incredible. Marie had never experienced anything like it. The entire experience changed their fighting style almost immediately. She was strong enough to take down evil souls on her own without a Meister wielding, but she could never be sure about witch and she had to take one down in order to graduate. The difference in their power was brilliant, a blinding light and burst of energy that she couldn’t get enough of.

She was strong before and so was he, but nothing compared to what he felt now.

_ This is what I’ve been missing out on? This is what everyone else felt? _

“Not really,” Stein cut in, opening his hand so she could transform back into her human form beside him. “Everyone feels a little different when they soul resonate.”

“I didn’t know it felt so…” Marie blushed and walked away from him. It was hard to describe. She would’ve liked to have talked about it with someone, but normally that someone was Kami. There was no way in hell that she was going to gush to Kami about how amazing it felt to fully soul resonate with Stein. One) it was embarrassing, and two) Kami did not want to hear about that.

Instead, she focused on the defeated evil soul in front of her. Disposing of them was simple enough, but it was such a strange business. Demon Weapons fed off of souls like this, after all. They absorbed them to get stronger until finally they were able to take down a witch and become a Death Weapon, but in all honesty, they just...ate them. It was a little distasteful.

Plucking the soul out of the air with two fingers, Marie held it close to her face and wrinkled her nose. She could never tell if she actually liked eating them or not. Some of them didn’t taste so bad. A few were actually kind of delicious, although she’d never admit that, especially not when they slid down her throat like an oyster. Licking her lips, she opened her mouth and slurped down the soul like a noodle. She grimaced slightly over the texture, then swallowed it down whole.

“Scrumptious,” Stein hummed thoughtfully.

Marie stuck her tongue out. “That one tasted funny.”

“Did it go bad?”

“I–” Marie twisted her lips and narrowed her eyes. “You’re terrible.”

A grin slowly spread across Stein’s face. He didn’t make jokes very often – most people assumed he wasn’t capable of them – but when he did, they were so dumb. Even if he wouldn’t admit that he liked them, she knew he enjoyed making them. There was something about the way his eyes would light up whenever she reacted to them.

“I’ve been called worse.” Stein turned and started to walk away. “Now I’m hungry. You wanna–?”

A ball of fire exploded between them, blowing Stein and Marie apart from one another. She was thrown against the side of a cliff, the back of her head smacking hard on the rock. A gasp was ripped from her as she collapsed to the ground on her hands and knees, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Her vision swam, her hands multiplying in front of her, and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to get it back to normal.

As she forced her lungs to take in air, a hand with sharp nails grabbed her by the hair and pulled on her hard, forcing her to lifting her head up and stare into the dark eyes of what she would’ve considered a beautiful woman. Except this wasn’t a regular woman. Even before she spoke, Marie knew what she was: a witch. She could feel the power in her tight grip. Marie’s eyes widened as a grin slid onto the witch’s face, transforming her into something ugly and monstrous.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice of you, wounding and eating my pet like that,” the witch purred. “What shall I do with you?”

There was no time to think about the rules regarding fighting witches before they were at 99 souls. Marie transformed her right hand into a hammer and swung it in a powerful hook. The witch effortlessly dodged it, jumping over her head so that she was standing sideways on against the rock. She pulled on Marie’s hair even more, causing her to cry out and force her to her feet so that it wasn’t ripped entirely from her skull. The witch’s sharp nails dug into her scalp to point where she could feel blood seeping out of the wounds.

“So mean!” the witch lamented mockingly. “I don’t know how such a sweet, little thing like you could be capable of such cruelty! What did we ever do to deserve such treatment?”

Gritting her teeth, Marie ground out, “Your ‘pet’ was hunting down and killing villagers every week!”

“He was hungry,” the witch said. “I wasn’t about to let him starve.” She dropped her other hand to caress Marie’s cheek until she gripped her by the chin. “His brother will be sad, but a Demon Weapon for dinner will surely cheer him up. Don’t you think?”

Marie opened her mouth, prepared to shoot something back at the witch and attack again, when she heard Stein let out a furious shout, “Let her go!”

And then Stein was in front of her, jumping off his feet with his hand outstretched, his palm crackling with barely contained energy. The witch let go of her hair and jumped away, barely giving Marie enough time to dodge before he attacked with a powerful blast of his Soul Menace. She threw herself to the ground, the cliff behind her exploding from Stein’s attack.

Tiny shards of rock showered her, a thick cloud of smoke and dust enveloping them, only for it to be sliced through by a knife. Marie yelped and lifted her hammer-transformed hand to block the blow. The knife scratched along the surface, the force sending her back on her ass since she hadn’t planted her feet strongly. When the knife came for her again, she swung a foot up in an upward kick, her boot connecting with the witch’s wrist and sending the knife flying in the air.

Stein burst through the smoke, reaching out to attack the witch once more with his bare hands, a terrible snarl on his face. Despite wearing a surprisingly cute black dress, the witch seemed to easily dodge his moves, bouncing lightly on her feet as she pulled yet another jagged-looking dagger out from behind her back.

“Oh, you’re much quicker than most Meisters I’ve come across!” the witch taunted as she ducked a hand that would’ve fried her brain had the hit landed. “The others barely put up a fight. It was really quite boring. But you!” She darted forward in a flash, so quick that Marie thought she might’ve teleported, and pressed the tip of her knife underneath Stein’s chin. “You’re fascinating.”

“Stein!” Marie called out.

He knocked the witch’s hand away, though not before the knife scraped a thin line along his jaw. Having not tried to pull away from the knife as she thought he would, he took advantage of the space and slammed a palm against her stomach, his Soul Menace shooting bolts of electricity through her. She screamed and skidded back several feet from the force of his hit, although she didn’t fall from her feet.

Stein wiped at the blood running down his neck with the back of his hand and then reached out. Marie transformed without question, a bolt of light zipping through the air and into his hand until she was fixed in her tonfa form. Stein panted heavily, his grip on her tight, but she could sense an excited buzz of energy building inside of him.

A witch – they were facing an actual witch. Marie tried not to squirm anxiously. She was only at seventy-one souls, forty of those having been taken down before she was partnered with Stein a few months ago and most of them on her own in between Meister partners. Technically, she and Stein could get expelled for fighting a witch before they were allowed. However, it wasn't like the witch was giving them much of a choice. Marie knew she was strong and that Stein was one of the best Meisters DWMA had ever seen, but still…

Was she ready for this? Was he? They’d faced incredibly strong evil souls but nothing like this.

Doubled over, her arms hanging limply at her side and her bright red hair shielding her face, the witch twisted her head side-to-side, the bones of her neck cracking. “What was that? I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

“My own technique,” Stein replied, a hint of smugness in his voice.

“Was that...your soul?” the witch asked. Stein didn’t respond, although his body went lax, just like it did before he jumped into a fight. “You used your soul to attack me?” She pressed a hand against her heart and lifted her head, her eyes shining so wildly that Marie’s soul cringed. “I’m  _ touched _ .”

Stein grunted. “Marie.”

“Got it.”

By now, soul resonance was like breathing to her. She connected souls with him and their power flooded through the two of them, bouncing back and forth between one another until they were like one. An explosion of lightning shot around the both of them, a wave of energy so strong that even the witch tilted her head in surprise. No, she hadn’t faced a Meister and Demon Weapon team like them. Aside from Kami and Spirit, no one at DWMA was on their level, and, if she was being honest, not even the former team matched them.

With Stein, Marie felt like she was capable of anything. A few souls short or not, they would take down this witch.

“You still have a chance to run away,” Stein told her loftily. “I'd rather not deal either anymore fallout with Lord Death, seeing as how I'm on a thin line as it is.”

“Is that your way of asking for an out because you’re not ready?” the witch asked.

Stein tilted his head. “No, it’s my way of giving you the option to not die right now.”

A furious expression crossed the witch’s face, and then it was on. Using his enhanced speed and durability, Stein was able to jump around and dodge the witch’s explosive attacks. Fire raged around them, ravaging the rocky ground and the trees on the outskirts. They’d come here to take care of an evil soul attacking a nearby village, not take down a witch, but there was no going back now. He swung Marie in her weapon form with precision, cutting through the flames with a gust of air, and nearly landed a blow on the witch’s head.

The witch used her dagger to build up her magic and send powerful blasts of fire, much like how a Meister used a Demon Weapon, but it wasn’t the same, just a mockery of it. Still, if they took her weapon out of the equation, it would even the playing field. Even in her weapon form, Marie felt as if she was sweating from the effort and close proximity to the fire. Stein’s grip on her was slick too and she could see sweat beading on his forehead, but he ignored it, so enthralled with the fight.

Over and over again, he and the witch clashed with one another, hammer against knife, lightning against fire. The sounds of their fight echoed in the air, loud enough to reach the village – and the cave where another soul was dwelling. In the heat of the fight, they both forgot what the witch had said earlier.

Swinging the hammer down, Stein moved to strike her from above. However, when the witch dodged to the left, he caught her with the open palm of his free hand, digging his fingers into her side and letting off a burst of his Soul Menace attack. She shrieked as electricity tore through her body and soul, Stein cackling in the light. He spun the hammer around to give the finishing blow, but so distracted by the excitement and power flowing through him, he didn’t notice the soul creeping up behind them until it was too late.

A massive hand swiped hard at Stein, like a cat playing with a mouse toy, knocking him off his feet and into a tree. Marie slid from his grip, crashing to the ground some feet away from him and transforming back into her human form. She cringed in pain, holding her side, and looked up to find an evil soul twice the size of the one they defeated earlier slowly advancing on Stein. It was a monstrous thing, black and grotesque, a mix between some sort of grim wolf but with multiple arms and sharp needles protruding out of its body.

“Stein!” Marie shouted, but he didn’t move. He lay prone on the ground, leaves from the tree falling around him. The evil soul opened his wide jaws, drool dripping from its four rows of sharp teeth, a guttural and hungry growl rumbling from its mouth, and she saw red.

Letting out a vicious shout, Marie leaped to attack, slamming a hammer-transformed fist into the side of its face. The evil soul roared in pain, but when it jerked its head back to snap at her, she beat it again, as hard as she could. Small as she was compared to this monster, it was thrown back. It snapped its jaws and swiped at her with its hands, but she used her size to her advantage, dodging and ducking underneath it to avoid the blows. She reared her hand back, the glow of her Healing Wavelength surrounding the hammer, but then a whirlwind of fire wrapped around her and the ground exploded underneath her feet.

A bright light flashed, and then everything went black.

When Marie came to, it was slow and foggy. She was faintly aware of something holding her up around her middle, her toes barely touching the ground, but she didn’t know what. Stein? No, it wasn’t him. He was… Where was Stein? Her vision blurred, black spots bursting in it, but then she saw him struggling to push himself up from where he’d been unconscious under the tree. She opened her mouth to call out to him, but the words wouldn’t come out.

The witch popped into her view instead. “You’re a very deceptively strong girl. I can admire that.” She smiled, a look that would’ve looked beautiful on anyone else. “I thought I had you for sure, but you fully transformed into your Weapon form at the last second to avoid being burned or blown up. Very clever – but still not enough to avoid being hurt.”

Marie bit her lip, refusing to respond. The large hand around her middle tightened, causing a grunt to slip from her as she struggled to breathe. The evil soul held onto her obediently as the witch patted its head. She could always transform again if it tried to squeeze her in half, but she felt utterly drained too. There was a chance it wouldn’t work. She’d been blown back to her human form twice,. Her soul disconnected from Stein’s, she didn’t feel the same strength or confidence from before.

“Was that a special wavelength I saw?” the witch questioned. “It was so beautiful. I can’t help but want to see it again.” Marie neither spoke nor moved a muscle. While her Healing Wavelength was mainly for defense, she could use it as a weapon against forms of evil too. The witch sighed in disappointment. “It came from your hand, but actually…”

Fire glinted off a flash of silver from below, and Marie’s eyes were drawn to the knife at the witch’s side. When the witch touched her face and lifted the knife, she jerked her head away and tried to squirm, but she couldn’t get out of the soul’s grip. The witch gripped her by the hair again and pulled her head to the side, pressing the tip of the knife against the side of Marie’s left eye.

The witch’s face was so close to hers, that manic glimmer back in her eyes. “I just want to see it again–”

And then she dug.

It could’ve only been for a second, maybe a minute, or an hour, but by the time Marie was done screaming, her throat was raw and her voice was gone. It didn’t matter how long the witch had her, not when the damage was done. (In truth, later on, she would find out the witch had only assaulted her for two seconds before Stein intervened, but it was still two seconds too late.) Her screams shocked Stein to his core, and he lashed out to attack without a second thought, using a blast of Soul Menace so powerful that it killed the evil soul holding onto her outright.

When Marie collapsed to the ground, Stein caught her in his arms. She fell against his chest, blood from her eye staining his white shirt, but he simply held her. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she could hear the frantic beat of his heart and feel his soul jittering, like it was trying to leap into hers even though she wasn’t in her Weapon form. Tears slid out of her right eye, mixing with the blood, and she weakly grasped the front of his shirt.

“I’m–” Stein couldn’t get the shaky words out of his mouth.

Marie grit her teeth, the taste of her own blood on her lips and tongue. “The witch.”

Stein glanced back. “Still alive.”

“We have to kill her.”

His hold on her tightened, protective and...scared. “Marie, you’re–”

“I’m still alive. I can still–” She lifted her head away from his chest to look him in his face, but it was a strange sight. She could see him just fine with her right eye, but it was like half of the world had been doused in utter darkness. There was nothing on her left. It was entirely gone. He lifted a hand to touch the skin and bones around her left eye, and she flinched in pain. His face hardened, but his eyes…

Oh, his eyes were infuriated.

“Are you sure?” he asked flatly.

Marie nodded. “Yes.”

Stein stood up, carefully bringing her with him. Even though she was exhausted, she transformed into her Weapon form, and he took hold of her. She was smaller than usual, longer and thinner, but she didn’t feel any less powerful. In fact, this time, when she and Stein resonated, there was something different about it. Something fiercer and less contained, something...quite Mad, as if her Healing Wavelength and his Madness had combined. So overwhelming, she could barely grasp onto it, but Stein’s soul was as steady as ever with hers.

“Still fighting?” the witch snarled. “I’m done with games. You killed my pets!”

“No, this isn’t a game,” Stein said. He stood upright and tilted his head back, a toothy grin spread across his face and his eyes shining with a mad, bright fever. “This is the end!”

Cackling out of control, Stein launched himself toward the witch so fast that dust blew in the air. The witch tried to deflect his hit with her dagger, but he knocked it out of her hand with a single right hook. Spinning the handle of the hammer in his hand, his swung back down in the opposite direction, striking her hard enough to smash her into the ground. He laughed, high-pitched and frantic, electricity flooding between him and Marie. Before the witch could even lift a hand, he dealt the killing blow and ended it.

Still struggling not to laugh, Stein pressed a hand over his mouth and staggered backwards until he lost his footing and collapsed onto his knees. The moment their souls disconnected, a shuddering breath escaped him, and he slowly let go of her. She transformed back into her human form, on her knees in front of him, and caught him as he fell forward so that his face was in her shoulder.

Marie laid a hand over his back. “Stein…”

“I’ve never done that before,” he murmured, his breath warm against her neck. “I didn’t know…” Stein slowly lifted his head and brought his hands to her face, shaking as he held his fingers just centimeters away. Something strange glowed in his eyes. They almost looked like tears, but she’d never seen him cry. “Marie… Your eye…”

“I know.” She turned her face away from her, her bangs falling over to shield the ruined eye and the blood running down half her face. It hurt like hell, and she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Her lips trembled, and she dug one hand into her skirt, willing the pain to go away. 

Despite the victory, it was humiliating. A witch’s soul hung in the air behind them, a testament to their strength, but she felt nothing. If she ate it now, would she simply be able to graduate? That was the end goal, wasn’t it? To become strong enough to kill a witch. And now they’d done it. What else was there for her to do? Every time she felt like she took a step forward, it was like something was taken from her in the process. She gained something, but she lost something as well.

_ I had to know… _

_ I just want to see it again… _

Marie fell to the ground, blood loss and exhaustion overtaking her. She would’ve hit the ground, but then there was Stein, catching her despite his own weakness. She distantly heard him saying her name, but then she shut her eye and let the darkness take her. She was too tired to fight it this time. The witch’s soul could wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beautiful and incredible art by the talented [Baph](https://twitter.com/boredBaph)! I couldn't be more grateful for them! They really inspired me with their art! <333

__

_. _

_ Rule #6: Your Meister might pretend like he doesn’t have any emotions, but rest assured, he does. It’s not your job to teach him how to deal with them. _

With such a severe injury and Stein wounded himself, they couldn’t return to DWMA. They made it halfway back to the village they’d saved when Marie suddenly collapsed. The last thing she remembered was the ground rushing up to meet her and Stein shouting her name before everything went black.

When she woke, Marie’s eyes fluttered open – or one of her eyes did. She stared at the wooden ceiling above them, light pouring softly into the room through an open window. The sounds of a bustling, peaceful village filtered inside, reminding her of where she was and all the good that they had done. It was beautiful, gentle, sweet. It reminded her of the kind of place she’d grown up, a town where she’d love to have a family.

But with half her world plunged into darkness, all that beauty felt so dimmed.

Without sitting upright in bed, Marie lifted her left hand and gently touched the area around her left eye. An eye pad made of wool and gaze rested over it, taped on, with a bandage wrapped around her head to keep it in place. She hadn’t gone through a fancy surgery by any means, not in such a quaint village, but they had a doctor. Stein must have carried her to him after she passed out, although she wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that he’d taken the man’s equipment and done it himself.

After all, Stein was very familiar with the human body after having done so many experiments on Spirit.

Taking a deep breath, Marie slowly pushed herself upright into a sitting position. Her body ached and her arms protested briefly, but she didn’t stop. The thin blanket slid down to bunch around her waist, revealing a light blue t-shirt that she hadn’t been wearing earlier. Well, it was no wonder they’d changed her clothes. Her shirt had likely been drenched in blood. Her face and neck had been washed and her hair was wet too.

Just as she suspected, she was in the doctor’s house, the same room where she and Stein had spoken to a villager attacked by an evil soul. It was quiet, a soft breeze flowing through the air, and didn’t smell at all like the infirmary at DWMA, the open window and flowers keeping it fresh. It was strange how a place that could hold such sadness also held so much light and hope. She was alive. She was fine. She was…

Shuffling and a disturbed grunt at her right pulled her attention away from the window to rest on Stein. He was sitting stiffly in a chair, his back hunched and his chin resting against his chest. His grey hair hung in his face so that she couldn’t see his eyes, but judging from the soft breaths coming from his open mouth and the way his chest was moving, he was fast asleep. Marie bit her lip to refrain from smiling. It couldn’t be comfortable, especially since it didn’t have a back, but he’d grown so used to sleeping in his computer chair back at the Lab.

He could’ve rested his head on the bed and slept much comfortably, but no, he kept his space from her, giving her a respectable distance, even if it meant awkwardly sleeping sitting up in a chair.

“Stein,” Marie murmured gently, and he startled awake.

His eyes jerked up to meet hers, frantic and wide, his mouth open, but nothing came out at first. He stared at her like she was a ghost, his chest still slowly rising and falling. When she held out a hand to him, he dropped his gaze to it and gawked at it in confusion. She didn’t pull away at his hesitation, leaving it out to give him time to decide. This was his move, after all – him calling her to him – but they weren’t fighting right now, at least not in the physical sense. Considering the number of emotions swirling in his eyes right now, he was fighting an internal battle that she couldn’t comprehend.

With a shaky hand, Stein reached out to take hers, and she held onto him tightly, proving her strength. He let out a breath, his shoulders sinking, and then rolled the chair closer to the side of the bed. Their hands rested on top of the blanket, and he laid his other hand over hers, as if he was afraid she would fade away should he not hold onto her carefully. He didn’t look away from their hands, looking at them like he’d never seen anything like it before.

Had he ever simply held hands with someone before?

“Stein,” Marie said, her voice softer than wool. “Are you okay?”

“What?” Stein lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

A hint of a smile twitched at Marie’s lips. He’d never asked that before. It wasn’t in his nature. “Then ask it.”

“How can I?” Stein asked scathingly, desperately. She didn’t blink at the harshness of his tone, not when she knew it wasn’t directed at her. “Of course you’re not okay. You–” He tore his gaze away from her face, dropping it back to their hands. The smile faded into a frown, especially when she could feel his hands trembling. “I couldn’t do anything to protect you. I let you get hurt. I put your entire future on the line. I let that witch–” He gripped her hand tighter and clenched his jaw tightly. “I was useless. I couldn’t even save you.”

“But you did,” Marie insisted, “or I wouldn’t be here now.”

“I never should’ve let her even touch you,” Stein snarled, “not once.” He closed his eyes, almost like he was trying to stop any tears from coming. That wasn’t right. He never cried. “But I was pathetic. I was  _ weak _ . Strongest Meister that DWMA has ever seen, my ass. I woke up to you  _ screaming _ , and I-I–”

“Hey,” Marie cut in sharply. “Stop that right now.” He stilled, his eyes opening, but he didn’t move to face her. She sighed. “You are strong – you’re the strongest person I know – and you saved me. I don’t know any other Meister at DWMA that would face a witch on their own without a Weapon in hand, but you did without hesitation.”

“I had to,” Stein muttered. “She had you. I couldn’t let her have you. I couldn’t let her tear you apart like I did Spirit.” He hunched his shoulders more and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. It was such a strangely intimate gesture, one she couldn’t imagine from him, and yet it didn’t feel out of place. “It made me sick. I carried you back here so I could use the doc’s supplies, but then I saw your eye and I thought of Spirit and I couldn’t– I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t move.”

Marie laid her hand over his, making a ridiculous pil of hands. “It’s okay. I didn’t expect you to perform surgery on me too after that. It was a… It was terrifying. You weren’t in the right state of mind.”

“No, you don’t understand. I couldn’t… I couldn’t…” Stein pulled his hand over from underneath hers and lifted it to cover his face. His palm hid his mouth, but she could see his wide eyes, unseeing and unsettled. “I couldn’t touch you. I knew what to do. I knew I couldn’t save your eye, but I knew every step I had to take. And then you were just lying there, unconscious, completely vulnerable, totally at my mercy, just like Spirit, passed out and ready for me to dig into for fun and knowledge and because I could – and I couldn’t touch you. I froze.”

Maybe he hadn’t been aware of it, but even when he’d spoken to her about what he did to Spirit, he had clearly been holding something back, but from himself more than her. Guilt was written all over him, the shame obvious in the tense way he held his body, but she couldn’t tell if it was for his actions with Spirit or his failure with her. Whatever the case, something had shattered in him. It wasn’t her job to stitch him up – and he likely wouldn’t want her help anyways – but she could be there for him as he picked up the pieces.

“It wasn’t your job.”

“How is it not? You’re my partner–”

“And you’re my Meister,” Marie reprimanded. “It’s my job to protect you.”

Stein’s hand dropped from his face, and he hung his head. “It shouldn’t be your job to keep me from falling apart. It wasn’t fair of Lord Death to put that on you simply because he didn’t want to let my abilities go to waste.”

“I don’t see it as that,” Marie told him. “I’m grateful to be your partner, even now.” She gestured to her face. The pain was still there, a dull throb nummed somewhat by painkillers that they must’ve given her. Even when it went away, the wound would always be there as a reminder of what happened, of their partnership, of him. Spirit had scars to remind him too. It must have suddenly struck Stein that he always left behind scars. “You didn’t do this. You saved me. You...taught me that I won’t always be alone. I didn’t know if anyone could partner with me. I thought I would always be the odd one out.”

“You deserve more than I can give,” Stein admitted in a quiet voice.

Marie smiled. “You say that, but only I can decide what I want and what makes me happy.” She pulled her other hand away from his, stretching her arms in the air, and threading them behind the back of her head. “And I’m happy with you. At the least, I’m content. It feels good to not be alone.”

Stein furrowed his brow. Of course that wouldn’t make sense to him. He liked being alone – and other people liked leaving him on his own. He was hard to deal with sometimes. It was easier to let him be. If Marie was being honest, it was sad. So many people assumed he could take care of things by himself – that he didn’t need anyone – that he was hard to work with. What would he have been like had more people tried to reach other to him when he was younger, instead of leaving him alone?

Dropping her hands to her side and the smile, Marie tentatively asked, “Are...are you happy?”

“I think so,” Stein admitted, shame and embarrassment lacing his voice. Only he would be embarrassed to feel normal things. “I’m not sure. It’s never been something I thought about before. It didn’t seem important.”

“Maybe it is; maybe it isn’t.” Marie shrugged and laid back down in bed. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

“You shouldn’t be.”

“Too bad. I am.”

Stein took her hand again, this time unprompted, and her heart skipped a beat. His eyes flickered to her face briefly before he looked away once more. It was hard for her to tell, but she almost thought he was blushing. No, that didn’t make any sense. He didn’t cry and he certainly didn’t blush. She closed her eye and breathed deeply. If she concentrated hard enough, she could almost feel his soul. She might not have had Soul Perception abilities like him, but she could feel his soul.

It was warmer than the sunlight pouring into the room and brighter too. She could never forget that. Even with her left eye gone, she could see it clearly in her mind’s eye.


	7. Chapter 7

_Rule #7: Not everyone is going to understand your relationship, and that’s okay – sometimes not even you or the person you’re with._

Marie was so distracted by trying to finish her homework last minute that she didn’t even know Stein was sitting next to her until he said, “Your patch is slipping.”

A yelp slipped from her, and she nearly bolted out of her chair. When she turned around, she found herself face-to-face with Stein, who was sitting down like this was absolutely normal. It was not. She had grown used to him being in her space, which he’d begun to do more often than not over the past week since their return to DWMA, but this was different.

After all, this was a classroom, not their living room where they watched television.

“What are you doing here?” Marie hissed.

“Attending class?” Stein didn’t sound so sure himself, screwing up his face in thought. “I am a student here.”

“Yeah, but you never–” Marie cut herself off. She shouldn’t question him. He made weird decisions all the time and she never said anything. He came to school sometimes. It just seemed odd now, especially when she knew that he didn’t like this teacher in particular. He never said anything, but the snorts and looks he would make whenever she brought up the class spoke volumes.

Stein tilted his head. “I wanted to check on you.”

Marie furrowed her brow. “Check on me?”

“You’re still getting used to the eyepatch. Recovery will take months.”

She looked away, not wanting to meet his straightforward gaze. “I’m fine.”

“You hit yourself in the face when you opened the front door this morning.”

Blush tinged her cheeks. “That wasn’t– I was busy telling you off for sleeping at your desk again. I wasn’t paying attention.” It definitely wasn’t because she had miscalculated the depth and distance. It definitely wasn’t because she was at a disadvantage with only one eye. She wasn’t any weaker. She wasn’t. When she peeked at him, the look on Stein’s face suggested that he didn’t believe her. “I’m fine, honestly. I won’t walk into anymore doors.”

“It’ll take time to get used to it,” Stein told her, reaching out to straighten the band of her eyepatch. She stared at him, now unable to look away. His touch was so gentle, his long fingers delicate as he brushed her hair. “You’ll have to work harder when it comes to fighting on your own, but it won’t make you any weaker.”

“How do you know?” Marie blurted in a whisper.

“Because you’re stronger than any other Weapon here,” Stein said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn’t, not in the slightest, but she couldn’t figure out how to explain that to him. She was strong, yes, even on her own, but she wasn’t nearly as strong as she could be without him. He brought her to a level that she had only dreamed of before. He–

“Oh, Death,” Kami groaned. “Can you two get a room?”

Marie jumped, scooting her chair back so that she was out of Stein’s reach. “What?”

Kami dropped her backpack in the row above them. “Ever since you two have come back, all Stein’s been doing is hovering over you, all up in your space, staring at you when you aren’t looking. You haven’t noticed?” Marie shook her head hesitantly. No, she hadn’t. Surely she would’ve noticed something like that, especially since Stein sometimes acted like he didn’t even know she was around. Kami made a face. “It’s weird and gross.”

“He’s just worried since I lost–”

“Stein worried?” Kami scoffed and sat down in her seat. “I don’t think he knows that emotion.”

“He does too!” Marie exclaimed, her cheeks puffed up and reddening.

“Just be careful, okay?” Kami said as she pulled her schoolwork out of her backpack, completely ignoring Marie’s outburst. “The last time he was that interested in someone, he cut them up when they were sleeping.”

Marie opened her mouth to argue, but then she caught Stein shaking his head. It wasn’t worth it. Despite her scathing words, Kami wasn’t entirely wrong. Maybe she didn’t understand the entire issue, but he’d done what he had done and there was no making excuses for that. He knew it. Marie knew it. Her anger and suspicion were both justified. It still upset Marie. Kami hadn’t been there the morning after that witch’s attack. She hadn’t seen Stein or heard his words or felt the way he held her hand.

She didn’t know his soul.

Instead, all Marie could do was sit and pout slightly when Stein stood up and said, “I think I’ll go, after all.”

Kami blew a raspberry. “Too good for class like everyone else here?”

Stein eyed her briefly before saying, “Yes, I am.”

While Kami scowled at him, Stein turned to Marie. He didn’t say anything, but she could hear the words he wanted to say anyways: _I’ll wait for you at home._ It was hard for her to say just how she knew – maybe it was all the times they’d Soul Resonated – but she smiled and nodded. Only then did he turn and leave. She fiddled with her eyepatch briefly and turned back to her homework, feeling strangely lighter and giddy despite the short argument with Kami.

“Seriously,” Kami piped up, “what the hell is going on between you two?”

Turning back to her, Marie frowned. “Nothing. What are you talking about?”

Kami pointed to the door that Stein disappeared through. “That wasn’t weird to you?” When Marie didn’t answer, not knowing what to say, Kami huffed and folded her arms across her chest, sinking back into her seat. “Whatever. It was weird. I’ve never seen him act so…” She wrinkled her nose. “Soft.”

Marie snorted. “He wasn’t soft.”

“Oh, Marie,” Kami sighed, “you really don’t see it.”

“See what?”

Shaking her head, Kami turned back to her homework. “It doesn’t matter. You won’t listen anyways.”

Well, that was needlessly cryptic. Marie wasn’t sure how to answer that either, so she didn’t, instead turning back around as their teacher walked into the room. He looked miffed. Judging by the sharp glare he sent her way, she had a feeling it had to do with Stein. They must’ve crossed paths after he left the classroom. Marie winced and wilted in her seat, glancing down at her homework. Hopefully, fighting a witch and losing an eye would give her a little leeway on her paper.

*

Marie didn’t see it coming.

She liked to think that she understood relationships and romance and stuff like that, but she didn’t see it with Stein. Whatever they had with each other was something special and unique, but it wasn’t like any of those romance stories. Except maybe it was, and she was a little blind to it when it was right in front of her. 

Stein wasn’t romantic or sweet by any means. She didn’t come back to their place from class to find flowers or a sweet card or dinner waiting for her. More often than not, he was hunkered over his work at the computer or on the roof working on his Soul Menace attacks or passed out in random places. He never cooked. He never got her gifts. He never did anything that a normal boyfriend would do, and she never expected it of him, because he wasn’t her boyfriend or whatever.

However, he did do things for her that she’d taken as a given since they were partners. When she fell asleep on the couch while they were watching a documentary, she groggily woke up to him carrying her to bed. She tried to protest, but he hadn’t complained. He checked the progress of her eye socket daily, sitting down in front of her and giving her a careful look over, his face so close to hers, his hands touching her face and head. Instead of being silent, he talked her through it, told her whatever he was doing, like he had to make sure she knew he wasn’t hurting her.

Even if her progress might’ve intrigued the science side of him, he didn’t take any pleasure in it for once.

Like most things in her life, the final tipping point happened by accident. She might’ve been one of the most powerful Demon Weapons at DWMA, but she was also the clumsiest. Losing one eye only made it worse. She had to relearn their entire place even though it wasn’t different. She bumped into furniture and knocked over beakers of tea and, yes, she hit herself with the door. One time she slipped in the shower but caught herself at the last second. She still couldn’t get over Stein knocking and asking if she needed help. Not when she was naked!

After yet another nightmare about the witch and her pet evil souls, Marie crawled out of bed and meandered through the lab to get a drink of water. She could hear Stein telling her to turn on the light, but she didn’t care about it. The glow of the screensaver on his computer provided enough light and also let her know that he wasn’t at his desk. Maybe he’d actually gone to sleep in his bed for once. She did get onto him about it when he took her to bed. Rubbing lightly at the skin around her eyepatch, she yawned and shuffled through the room.

She didn’t see the book on the ground until it was too late. In fact, she didn’t see it at all. Her left foot kicked the book, and she staggered forward, a short gasp ripped from her. She reached out to grab the couch to stop herself, but swiped uselessly at empty air, her depth perception entirely off. Instead, she stumbled more and her legs hit the arm of the couch, the momentum sending her over the arm – and right onto an unsuspecting, sleeping Stein.

When she landed on his chest with a solid thump, he grunted in pain and jerked on the couch. She flailed, crying out, "I’m sorry! Sorry!” as she tried to get off him. Somehow they ended tangled up, both of them struggling to push away from one another. However, when she moved to roll off him and flop on the floor, he pressed his hand down on the small of her back and held her in place, and she stilled. Hiding her face in his chest, she muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Stein didn't say anything at first. He was breathing steadily, but she could hear his heart racing wildly in his chest. Keeping his one hand on her back, he moved his other hand to put a finger underneath her chin, tilting her head so that she couldn't hide any longer. She lifted her head fully, her eyes locked on his in the dark. The light of the computer glowed in his eyes, reminding her of his soul. Their faces were so close to one another.

“Marie,” he murmured, softer than ever before, a hint of shock in his voice.

“Yes?” she prompted, if only because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

He couldn't either apparently, so he closed the short gap between them and pressed his chapped lips against hers.

Marie had been kissed before. She knew what a kiss was supposed to feel like. She knew what to do. What she did not expect were the amount of butterflies that fluttered in her chest the moment they kissed. This was Stein, after all! She hadn't even known if he thought of other people in the romantic sense. Knowing him, he considered kissing and the like to be a simple biological function that he could live without. Nonetheless, he had initiated the kiss first, molding his lips against hers in a familiar way and cupping her cheek to hold her in place.

Not that she would've pulled away from him. While she hadn't really considered the idea of Stein in that way, Soul Resonating was bound to bind the two of them and bring them closer. She could practically feel his soul flickering, as if he wanted to Soul Resonate with her right now. She was almost inclined to do so, although they had only done so while she was in her Weapon form. His hand slid from her chin to the bag of her head, his fingers digging into her hair. When she felt his tongue sliding against her lips, she gasped in surprise, and he took advantage of the opportunity, dipping in to taste her.

“Stein!” she breathed, squirming on top of him, and he grinned against her lips. He actually grinned! Before she could complain, he nipped her bottom lip and then gently kissed her again, soothing the skin.

When he finally pulled away and dropped his head back against the couch, she blinked in shock and panted for air. Out of all the things she'd expected to happen when she moved in with Stein, getting kissed like her life depended on it was not one of them. She had thought, if it ever happened, she would be the one to initiate it, not him, and it would be brief and awkward, but he continued to hold her, possessive even though she was in her human form.

“What was that for?” Marie finally managed to ask.

Stein shrugged underneath it. “I don't know. I felt like it.”

“What if I didn't feel like it?”

After considering her for a moment, Stein asked, “Did you not?”

“I-I did, but…” Marie bit her lip. “Maybe we should try again - for science.”

Stein raised an eyebrow. “For science?”

Blush tinged her cheeks. “You-You know, because–”

He cut her off, kissing her once more. This time, he pressed down on the small of her back, and oh, if that didn't send a bolt of electricity up her spine. A strange sound slipped from her, and he chuckled, but he didn't stop kissing her, so she couldn't complain too much. She'd never felt anything like that with any of her past boyfriends before. Maybe it was because she'd never Soul Resonated with him. She and Stein would have to keep kissing to find out, she supposed. It was the logical thing to do.

*

The kissing definitely added a new aspect to their routine. They didn't do it all the time or even every day, but that was fine. Marie was never quite sure how to handle herself when it happened. She thought she would – kissing was very normal, after all – but it was different with Stein. She should've expected that, but it only took a week to get used to it. Instead of getting self-conscious when he didn't kiss her one day, she would find herself struggling not to be overwhelmed by his attention when it was on her. He was very all or nothing.

Stein was very much about his space, which she respected, especially when it came to his work area. Sure, she asked him questions from time to time and peered about him, but she knew he wasn’t the physically affectionate type. They didn’t hold hands in public or hug goodbye. He didn’t wrap his arms around her or pull her close like she saw so many other couples do. Admittedly, sometimes, she did wish he would, but she knew better than to ask him. She wouldn’t push him to do something he wasn’t comfortable with.

However, there were also times when he seemingly forgot the concept of space. She was standing in DWMA trying to figure out which hallway to take when he crept up behind her and simply laid his chin on top of her head. She would have flipped out had he not murmured her name in that exact moment. A few people gawked at them like they were monsters, but no one said a word when he looked at them, as if daring them to say something. He didn’t mind leaning into her or looking over her shoulder, so close that her heart beat erratically.

That wasn’t even including the times when they were alone. Marie blushed just thinking about it. They didn’t do anything unseemly, of course – they were respectable teenagers at a respectable school attempting to garner a very respectable reputation – but Stein enjoyed pushing the envelope. He would lay longways on the couch with his head in her lap and her hands in his hair as they watched one of her “unrealistic, poorly thought out” romcoms. He would be examining her eye one second, flip the patch, and then be kissing her the next, no matter the awkward position.

Kissing Stein was interesting, to say the least. He didn’t kiss like any of her past boyfriends. Most of them had been kind of pushy, eager to go to the next level or something, and almost all of them had this issue with trying to stick their tongue down her throat or grab her too much. Not Stein, no, he was slow, careful, methodical, like he had to mark down every new thing. If there was something she liked, he always did it again – he remembered – and boy, did she really like it when he pulled her into his lap and ran a hand up and down her back when they kissed.

It was really a lot more than she ever expected from him, but it wasn’t like she was going to complain. Sure, he didn’t kiss her good morning or goodbye when she left for classes and he stayed behind. He didn’t kiss her when she returned to the lab or when she made dinner. Sometimes, he kissed her after they took down an evil soul. He was almost always buzzing with energy if they Soul Resonated; she could feel it in the way he pressed his lips against hers, like an electric current flowed between them.

He treated some of their more, ah, passionate makeout sessions so oddly. It took them thirty minutes to actually separate and go to bed the other night. She spent the next day awkwardly wearing a scarf when it was seventy degrees outside because someone got curious about how long it would take to mark her skin. She would’ve thought it was a simple experiment if not for the smug grin on his face when she stomped back into the lab blushing bright red and threw the scarf at him. And then he laughed and pulled her close and, well, she couldn’t be too mad.

Yeah, it was weird, but it was theirs.

She couldn't rightly say that she and Stein were girlfriend and boyfriend either. He never asked and they never talked about the change in their relationship. She wasn't sure what he would say if she brought it up, but she didn't think he liked labels. As far as he was concerned, they didn't need them, as there was no sense in defining their relationship simply for other people. He knew what he wanted (or at least she thought he did), and that was enough. If people questioned her on it, she simply shrugged her shoulders. It was none of their business.

That didn't stop people from asking questions.

Spirit cornered her during lunch one day, practically pinning her against a wall and demanding, “Marie, please tell me Kami is lying.”

“Um, about what?” Marie asked, racking her for something she might've said.

“About you and Stein!” Spirit exclaimed, waving his hands frantically in the air. “She said that she saw you two…” He looked around edgily and then leaned in to whisper, “Kissing.”

“Oh.” Marie blushed. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

Spirit's eyes damn near bugged out of his head. “Seriously? You kissed him?”

“Yeah.”

Marie clutched her books close to her chest. It was the only thing she could say. She didn’t want to lie to him. She had known that Kami wouldn’t like it or even understand, but that hadn’t bothered her so much. It was expected of her. However, she had worried over Spirit’s reaction. They had managed to keep their friendship after Lord Death assigned her to take his place with Stein, but that meant he was even more anxious over her. He knew what Stein was capable of.

And yet, maybe he didn’t know everything.

“Why? How?” Spirit demanded hoarsely.

“I don’t know,” Marie mumbled. “It just...happened.”

“Multiple times?” Spirit burst incredulously. She winced. “You make it sound like they were accidents! Stuff like that doesn’t just happen!”

Marie pulled one arm away from her books to plant a hand on her hip, frowning slightly. “Oh really? Isn’t that basically what you said happened when you cheated on–?”

Spirit waved his hands in front of himself to stop her. “That is– That’s not the same!” She pressed her lips together in a thin line. He sighed, dropping his hands to his sides and sagging his shoulders. “So maybe I don’t have room to talk.” She arched an eyebrow. “Okay, I don’t have any room to talk – but I’m serious here! I’m worried.”

“I know, I know,” Marie sighed. “You don’t have to worry though. He won’t hurt me.”

“I’m not talking physically,” Spirit told her in a gentle tone. She blinked at him in confusion. He gave her a slight smile and dropped his gaze to their feet. “You’re a good person, Marie – you’ve got such a kind heart, more than all of us – but sometimes you’re a little...naive.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marie asked edgily.

Spirit took a step back and ran his fingers through his messy red hair. “Ah, Marie, I don’t want to sound mean, but you really do look at the best in people. It’s both good and bad.” How could that be a bad thing? Even when he messed up, she knew that Spirit was a good person deep down. No matter how many times Kami ranted about him, she adored him too. Why couldn’t she be like that with Stein? “I know he won’t hurt you like he did me. Maybe I was kinda… I don’t know. Maybe I was angry – jealous or confused. Why me and not you? What makes us so different?”

Marie bit her lip and looked away from him. “I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t really matter why,” Spirit told her, “just that he won’t. And I’m glad he won’t. I’m grateful.” He took a deep breath and clenched his hands into fists. “It’s weird, but he looks...better. I can’t really explain why, but every time I see him, even though I’m angry with him, I can’t help but get the sense that he’s clearer. He’s not on edge. I could feel it whenever we Soul Resonated, but I ignored it.”

Shuffling her feet, Marie muttered, “It’s probably just my Healing Wavelength.”

“No, it’s you.” Spirit snorted softly. “Give yourself some credit.”

“I was worried that you’d be upset with me,” Marie admitted, “like I betrayed you or something.”

Spirit laid a hand on her shoulder. “I could never think that of you. Really confused and concerned? Yeah, I am, but not angry or upset.” He tilted his head to the side so he could see her face better, and she raised her eyes to meet his soft gaze. Ridiculous as he might have been sometimes, Spirit was a good friend. “Kami might still be ranting about Stein possibly experimenting on you, but I know he won’t do that. I’m way more worried about him hurting your heart more than anything else.”

“My heart?” It skipped a beat in her chest, but not in the fun way.

“Stein is...weird. We both know that.” Well, that was the understatement of the year. Judging by the way Spirit rolled his eyes at himself, he knew it. “When Kami told me she saw you two kissing, I didn’t believe it because I didn’t think he was, well, into stuff like that. He always seemed bored or disinterested in my dates, like he didn’t get it.”

Marie giggled. “I’m not sure he gets it now.”

“Probably not,” Spirit sighed. At least he didn’t seem to be freaking out anymore. “I just don’t want you to get your heart broken. Stein isn’t like those other losers you dated. You two have…” He shrugged helplessly. “Somehow, you two have really made a connection. I didn’t want to see it, but after you lost your eye, I couldn’t ignore it.”

Without thinking, Marie brought a hand to her eyepatch. No one talked about it to the point where it was obvious that everyone was actively avoiding it. Not even Kami brought it up. The other Weapons looked at her differently. She hadn’t understood why until she mentioned it to Stein when he was checking her healing progress. The eyepatch was a reminder that they weren’t infallible – that they could easily get hurt or even die. It scared them. Her injury made them realize how small and weak they were.

It also served as a stark reminder of the difference in their strengths. Out of all the Demon Weapons here, aside from the Death Weapons, only she had consumed a witch’s soul.

“I’ll be okay,” Marie said lightly. “I appreciate your concern.”

Spirit pulled his hand away and stuffed them into his pockets. She could tell by the expression on his face that he wasn’t completely happy with the turnout of their conversation, but there was nothing left for him to do. He had expressions his concerns. He didn’t want her feelings to get hurt. She didn’t either, but she couldn’t stop herself. She had literally tripped into him. They were young though and, while she wanted to believe that everything lasted forever, she knew just by looking at her reflection that it didn’t.

Stein was unpredictable. Spirit wasn’t wrong to worry. Kami wasn’t wrong to distrust him. That didn’t stop Marie from rushing in with her heart in her hands.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I know this ship isn't super popular, but I love it a lot, so I hope that this little slice of life weirdness was enjoyable to the people that do too. I can't believe I did Resbang again. Am I crazy? Probably.

**Rule #8: If you love something, you have to let it go – not to see if they’ll come back, but because you can’t give them what they want (and maybe, just maybe, you love them too much to deny them that).**

Stein didn’t smoke, but he felt the oddest urge to pull a drag as he chewed on the end of his pen. He didn’t realize how hard he was biting down until he tasted a hint of ink. Making a slight face, he pulled the pen out of his mouth and looked at it before tossing it to the side. If he stained his white shirt before the graduation ceremony, Marie would make him change. Leaning back in his chair, he stared up at the ceiling and spun around in circles, listening to Marie hum and bustle about her room as she finished getting ready.

It was over. They were done. Once again, he had climbed his way to the top, slaying evil soul after evil soul, except this time, he was able to hold himself at bay and keep the real demons away.

Marie helped. At first, he thought it was simply due to her Healing Wavelength. It made sense to pair the two of them up together. When he first arrived at DWMA, short and scrawny like an alleycat or forgotten experiment gone wrong, Stein didn’t have an explanation for why he was the way he was. It was only until after he learned about Madness Wavelengths and such that he was able to figure it out. Lord Death explained the rest. His Madness was something he would have to deal with for the rest of his life. He couldn’t get rid of it; he could only work around it or with it.

Stein let out a breath. He’d tried working around it, only for it to bite him in the ass. He had no one to blame but himself, of course. There was no making excuses for what he’d done to Spirit. Maybe he did regret it, but he had also learned so much about souls and the human (and Death Weapon) body too. Working around his Madness meant ignoring it, which enabled it to slip into his behavior without him completely aware of it.

No, he had to work with it. He had to use it to his advantage. He hadn’t known it was even possible until he and Marie used Soul Resonation and he allowed the Madness to bleed into their Resonation. He hadn’t known that it could be good too – that _he_ could be good.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Marie said as she walked into the room. “How do I look?”

Stein peered down his nose at her. To be honest, she didn’t look much different than she normally did, but he could tell that she put on a bit more makeup and her skirt and shirt were nicer than usual. She fiddled with her eyepatch, no doubt self-conscious since a lot of pictures would be taken. Although she never said it, he could tell she was afraid that it made her ugly. She couldn’t be further from the truth. He didn’t know anyone more attractive – objectively and scientifically speaking, of course.

Instead of answering her out loud, Stein reached out to take her wrist and tugged her toward him. She was so small that she fit right in between his legs. She quirked an eyebrow but didn’t fight him on it, leaning into him on instinct. He wasn’t sure what he had planned on doing when he pulled her closer, but she made the decision for him, pressing her lips against his in a way that left him strangely wanting more.

Out of all the times Spirit had blabbed about his dallying with girls, Stein never gave it a second thought. It didn’t seem important when there was so much knowledge to obtain, so many other things he could do instead of wasting his time. Dating didn’t fit into his schedule. Cheesy, romantic gestures weren’t his thing. Even the concept of kissing sounded like an absolute bore. Yes, it was a natural, biological function that most found enjoyable, but it wasn’t something he thought he could get into.

His experiments excited him, not stuff like that. The human body interested him, but not in that way. He’d rather take sample swabs than swap spit. He didn’t need someone else, not even a Weapon partner really.

And yet here he was, one hand wrapped around Marie’s wrist, the other on her hip, kissing her with more energy and interest than he showed most people in his life. He could feel her soul fluttering to him, so trusting and warm, so loving and kind. It was intoxicating. Hm, it’d be funny if he messed up her makeup. She would have to do it all over again and then they’d be late for graduation and she’d get all riled up at him and he really, really enjoyed it when she made that face at him like she was going to make him pay–

“Stop, stop,” Marie whined, pushing away from him. “You’re gonna ruin my makeup.”

Ah, well, it was worth a shot.

He let go of her without complaint, although he did drag himself out the door. Attending graduation was not on his list of things he wanted to do. He had results to review, experiments to draw up, thoughts on what to do with the dark lab that had served as his house in Death City for years. (Honestly, he would much rather just sit on the couch and make out with Marie too, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to convince her.) However, graduation was important to most people, and there were three partnerships graduating in one go. Plus, as the top Meister to graduate from DWMA, Lord Death wanted him there.

Not even Stein could say no to Lord Death. It was important to never lose sight of that.

The graduation was nothing more than pomp and fair. At least there was food. Stein stood silently next to Marie like a white shadow while she gabbed with all their classmates. Unlike him, she had gone out of her way to make friends with so many people. She was adored and beloved among their class. All those hugs, kisses on the cheeks, and handshakes – he didn’t know how she managed it, but she did them all with a smile. There were even tears in her eyes at some point, although she denied crying when he asked.

A few people stiffly congratulated him, but most of his classmates were probably grateful to be parting ways from him. Not that he’d been around school very often, but even before his behavior with Spirit came to light, he hadn’t been friendly with people. It didn’t bother him. He ruthlessly beat those he considered weak, not giving them a hint of mercy. If they weren’t strong enough, they didn’t belong here. If they didn’t improve, they would only die. Taking down evil souls was one thing, but many witches were on an entirely different level, even after consuming 99 souls.

Marie had consumed two witch souls, the only Demon Weapon at the DWMA school to do so. Both of them had agreed that the first witch did not count. They wanted to graduate properly. It was the least Stein could do for Lord Death and Marie for giving him a second chance and allowing him to graduate with some sort of honor.

As Marie piled her plate high at the buffet table, Stein eyed Kami and Spirit out of the corner of his eye. Their table was entirely full save for one seat reserved for Marie should she choose to take it. All he had to do was leave. He should do it. He should go back to the darkness of his lab, the comfort and familiarity of his tools. At least there he wouldn’t feel so suffocated and alone, and she could be with her friends in the light where she belonged.

Stein tugged on the collar of his shirt. Where she belonged. Where she deserved to be.

“You know, you’d probably have more fun if I wasn’t around,” Stein said.

Marie peered at him and, with a mouthful, responded with a barely intelligible, “What?”

“You haven’t been able to talk with anyone for more than a minute,” Stein pointed out, folding his hands behind his back. “Kami’s been shooting you looks all night. She wants you to hang out with them.”

After swallowing her food, Marie said, “I’ll see her later. It’s fine.”

“People are avoiding you because of me.”

“I don’t care.”

“Marie–”

“Stein,” she cut in, a smile on her face. “It’s fine. I’m with you.”

He didn’t know why everyone else bothered him so much when they hadn’t before. It wasn’t like he cared about what people thought about him – he didn’t – but stupidly, it hadn’t occurred to him how much their opinions of Marie would change because of him. Before, when he was partners with Spirit, it was like he could never get a moment alone with Marie. She was always surrounded by people. Even if she didn’t have a Meister, she was very rarely alone.

Until now. She was alone with him and had been a lot of the time since Lord Death partnered them up, but she’d never complained either. There were a lot of things that she should’ve complained about but hadn’t.

An hour later, he finally left without Marie. He was far past his limit for being social, even if he hadn’t really spoken to anyone, but he’d been given the all-clear to leave. Marie could properly spend time with her friends, and he could return to the sanctuary of his lab. There was an awkward moment where he and Spirit almost said something to one another, but then they turned and walked away from each other, leaving Marie and Kami alone in their wake.

It was for the best. He didn’t really have anything to say to Spirit.

He wanted to kiss Marie goodbye, but he didn’t. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to kiss her goodbye when he never had before – and he wasn’t sure why he didn’t in the end. There were so many uncertainties when it came to Marie, so strange when she was so consistent. Her Healing Wavelength aside, she had one of the most gentle souls that he had ever seen in his life. Beautiful, yellow and warm like sunlight, strong and steady. Soul Resonating with her was one of the most brilliant things in the world, even better than with Spirit. It was a feeling that he could get used to.

And it terrified him.

On his way back to the lab, he stopped and bought a pack of cigarettes and some matches. Two years ago, he would have likely been laughed at, but he’d grown plenty since then, finally surpassing Spirit and everyone else at school. No one could mock him for being small now. He was taller than Marie, overwhelmingly so, to the point where she had to stand on her tiptoes and he had to bend over to kiss her if they were standing up. One time, when she was frustrated, she climbed onto the couch and jumped into his arms, which succeeded in knocking them down.

A grin tugged at Stein’s lips, but he shoved a cigarette in between them to stop it. He might’ve been able to use a tiny spark from his Soul Menace to light it up, but he didn’t feel the urge to experiment right now, a low blow to his ego indeed. He lit it up with a match and tossed the ruined thing to the side. The first drag was disgusting and painful, nearly making him cough, but he swallowed the urge down and blew out the air. The smoke and nicotine rushed to his head, a spell of dizziness coming over him, but then everything around him sharpened.

The streetlamps, the sounds of the city, the smell of smoke – it all forced him to think clearly in a way he had never experienced before Marie. It clouded the other thoughts whispering in the back of his mind, but it wasn’t like the peace that Marie’s Wavelength brought him. No, it forced him to think about everything, and he hated it.

So he took another drag.

By the time Marie returned to the lab two hours later, Stein had gone through at least half the pack and felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to throw up, the smell of smoke permeating the air without a window open to bring relief, but he hadn’t stopped either. This was where he belonged, hunkered down in his own darkness, his mind to keep him company. Sure, now that he had officially graduated, he planned on leaving so he could work on his research, but even that would only plunge him further into the dark side of souls.

It was what Lord Death needed him for. No one could do what he did – no one could handle crossing those lines without losing themselves – but he could. After all, he had already lost bits of himself. He was already cursed with Madness. Aside from someone letting a powerful Madness Wavelength aside, he couldn’t get any worse whereas others would. Lord Death might not have ever said it out loud, but the moment he and Marie defeated that witch months ago, he knew it was true.

His research was a necessary evil in order to do good. That was his cross to bear.

But it wasn’t Marie’s. It shouldn’t be hers. She deserved so much more.

“Stein? What are you–?” Marie coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. “Are you smoking?”

Rolling the cigarette to the side of his mouth, Stein blew out some smoke and said, “Yeah.”

“Are you crazy?” Marie demanded as she rushed over to open up a window. Smoke rolled out of it, a testament to how much he’d smoked already. She coughed a few more times, willing the smoke the leave, and then huffed, swiping her bangs out of her face. “Why would you do that?”

Stein shrugged. He didn’t really know, so there was no sense in answering.

Marie didn’t question him further. In fact, she didn’t say a word. He’d noticed her silence the moment she stepped inside, the quiet thrum of her soul. It wasn’t buzzing with the warm energy he expected. Tilting his head to the side, he stared at her, watched as she wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed them like she was cold even though summer was nearly upon them. It was hard to tell, but he thought, using Soul Perception, that her soul looked sad.

“Lord Death gave us our assignments,” Marie murmured.

Ah, her behavior made sense now. After consuming 99 souls and a witch’s soul, Demon Weapons became Death Scythes. They were the only ones powerful enough for Lord Death himself to wield. If he so desired, she could be chosen to stay here in Death City and take over as his personal Weapon. However, judging from her reaction, that wasn’t the case. He had a feeling it would be like this, but even he had ignored the thoughts. It was easy to live in the moment with her and forget everything else.

“He wants me to move to Oceania so I can eventually take over there,” Marie continued, still not looking at him, her eyes trained on the half moon that cruelly grinned down at them. “The Death Scythe there is close to retiring, and there’s an imbalance of power among the hemispheres that he thinks I will correct.”

“What about the Meisters?” Stein asked.

“He believes that since you were able to break through with me and I’ve reached Death Scythe level, other more experienced Meisters will be able to wield and Soul Resonate with me.”

No hesitation, no questioning. Stein pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and smashed it into the plate that he’d turned into an ashtray. Sick, sick – it made him sick. She didn’t ask him to come with her – she didn’t even expect it of him – and it made his stomach turn. She must have known too, but both of them had been deluding themselves, living in the moments they made with each other.

Stein had never experienced anything like it before, and he knew he never would again, at least not with anyone besides her. He didn’t want to. Even if it meant being alone for the rest of his life, he didn’t want anyone else to take that place in his life. Maybe it was selfish, stupid, and naive of him, but he didn’t care.

It would always and only be her.

“Spirit received his assignment too, but Kami said that she’s moving with him,” Marie said, finally dropping her gaze from the moon. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous, but I know–” Tears dripped on the floor and her shoes, and her breathing wavered. Her soul flickered, not out of weakness but hurt, pain. Even now though, it wasn’t angry. It should’ve been. She should’ve been. She sniffed and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. “I knew this wasn’t going to be forever. I’m not...”

 _As important as your work,_ were the unspoken words, but Death, if he could just get the real words out of his mouth. If he could just tell her that she was important, so important, and it scared him and cut him deeper than any scalpel, and he couldn’t do this to her anymore. He couldn’t keep her in the dark. That would be entirely selfish and despicable of him. The way he was now, he would only snuff her light out in the end, and someone as bright and beautiful as her deserved to shine.

Only a monster would keep that light for himself, and he didn’t want to be a monster, not to her.

“Maybe we’ll cross paths again during my research,” Stein said instead.

Marie wiped her eyes and lifted her head to smile. “You better call me if you’re in Oceania. If I find out you’re there and didn’t tell me, I’ll kick your ass.”

He didn’t doubt she would. He would gladly take a hit from her.

“I’ll have to show those other Meisters how it’s done.”

“Yeah, you will.”

When Stein reached out for her again, he could feel Marie’s urge to transform into her Weapon form and hide from him, but she didn’t. She meandered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He slid his arms around her, pulling her snug against him, and held her there. She fit perfectly here, just like she did in his hand as a Weapon. He didn’t know how, but a thousand times wouldn’t explain this.

How could she belong out there and with him too? It didn’t make any sense.

“When do you leave?” Stein asked.

“In a few days,” Marie said without pulling away. “I’ll go home for two weeks and then to Oceania.”

Stein hummed thoughtfully. “Then we’ve got a few days to kill.”

Marie lifted her head and frowned. “What do you want to do then? I’ll have to pack, but that won’t take long.”

“Hm, I can think of a few things,” Stein said before he pressed her against him and kissed her.

Shoving him away, Marie wrinkled her face and complained, “Ew! You taste awful!”

“I won’t smoke again until you’re gone,” Stein promised.

Sighing in defeat, Marie kissed him again, only slightly making a face. It was...cute, in an objectively speaking way. He slowly rolled the chair back until he accidentally hit a bump and tipped over backward. He pulled her down with him, her yelping as they went crashing to the ground, but then a few seconds later, they were kissing again. He could taste the salt of her tears from when she’d cried moments ago and wiped them from her cheeks with his thumb. Her body softened on top of his even as she dug her fingers in his arm.

Oh. So this was what it felt like to kiss someone goodbye. He didn’t like it, but… It was for the best. Yes, Lord Death’s gamble had worked out in the end. DWMA got to keep their greatest Meister and Marie was able to Soul Resonate with someone and carry on the Mjolnir legacy.

If he didn’t, well… She deserved more than he could give her right now. He wanted her to have the world. He wanted her to fulfill all her dreams of a happy ending with someone she loved and who loved her in return, who recognized her strength. He wanted her to be happy. And it couldn’t be with him. He knew that. Maybe she knew it too; maybe she didn’t. He had to let her go, even if he didn’t want to.

He didn’t know if his research would take him to Oceania, but he could secretly hope that their paths would meet again. That would be enough. It had to be enough. In the end, that and their memories were all they had, and no one could take them away.


End file.
